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A mother-of-two is reflecting this week (Organ Donation Week - September 21-27) on the incredible gift of life she received when a friend donated a kidney to her.

 In 2010 Susan Hare, from Kettering, had been on the organ donation transplant register for six years and was almost despairing.

 Progressive kidney failure meant she was on a dialysis machine for nine hours every night and felt constantly tired and freezing cold.

 Friends at the Church of Christ the King in Deeble Road, Kettering, suggested she make an appeal for a donor match through the church and, after some persuasion, she did and 15 parishioners came forward.

 One of them was her friend, Kate Oxford, also from Kettering, who found she was a suitable match after testing at Leicester General Hospital.

 Kate, also a mother-of-two, then made the big decision to donate her own kidney to Sue so that she could have a brighter future looking after her two children, Jonathan and Katy.

 Now, 15 years on, Sue and Kate are sharing their remarkable story to encourage more people to sign on to the national Organ Donation Register - at a time when consent to donation is falling.

 Sue, 56, said: “I will be forever grateful to Kate for the precious gift I have received. Kate has given me a whole new lease of life. I had been a teacher until 2004 when I was diagnosed and had to give up work and wait for a donor.

 “On May 26, 2011, we both went together to Leicester General Hospital for the transplant operation.

 “I was in hospital for five days but almost immediately I felt better. After six months of recovery I was working again as a carer for older people and for the last three years I have been an activity co-ordinator in a care home. I have also been able to spend a lot more quality time over the years with my children.

 “I think being on the Organ Donation Register is incredibly important. I am living proof of just what a donation can do for a person.”

 Kate, 58, who is married to Mike, and has two children Ben, 29, and Toby, 26, said: “I was already friends with Sue at church and our two boys were also friends.

 “I didn't want to see Sue's children growing up without her, or for her not seeing them grow up. When I was told by Leicester General we could be good match we discussed it as a family - and just decided. I had a sheer sense of peace - of doing the right thing.

 “We both had operations at Leicester General lasting three or four hours and were able to chat and see each other while we were in hospital. It is amazing to see that Sue is so well now. It has felt like a miracle from God that it all came together and worked out so well.”

 Now, every year, the friends celebrate a 'kidneyversary' on May 26 by going out together for spa day to celebrate the anniversary of their transplant surgery.

 Kettering General Hospital's Organ and Tissue Donation Committee Chair Nicola Lee said: “During Organ Donation Week we would encourage everyone who hasn't done so to register their decision to donate their organs after their own death.

 “Live donation is much rarer but as Kate and Sue have shown that can also transform lives. It is important to register your decision and make sure your family know your wishes.

 “This is important because families are always consulted before any donation is made. Organ donations from one individual can save up to nine lives.”

 To Register your decision - NHS Organ Donation go to the NHS Blood and Transplant website.

 Last month (August 5) NHS Blood and Transplant called on one million people in the UK to register their decision to be an organ donor. News - NHS Organ Donation

 Despite strong public support for organ donation in principle nationally consent at the time of death has fallen by a fifth from 69% in 2020/21 to just 57% in 2025/26.