THE deputy mayor of Kendal will go under the knife later this year in a selfless bid to give his beloved wife of 17 years a new lease of life.

Cllr Chris Hogg said the life-changing decision to donate one of his kidneys was a 'no brainer' when it became clear Rachael, 46, was in desperate need of a new organ.

"As a family we are very reliant on each other," said Chris, 44, whose 15-year-old son Kain attends Queen Katherine School. "It's a simple matter of we couldn't do without Rachael or with her being ill. It has to be done and there was never any question of not doing it.

"Living transplants are ideal. You are pretty much next to each other on the table, they whip it out of one and put it in the other."

Rachael, who represents Kendal Nether ward on the town council, said her problems began in her teenage years when she contracted a virus while on a girls holiday in Italy, aged just 18.

She was told it would affect one of her organs but it was not until a year that her health began to deteriorate.

After being on dialysis for seven months, the quality of her life improved when she received a kidney at the age of 21.

But now, nearly 25 years on, and with both kidneys failing because of the virus, she will receive another kidney - this time replacing the remaining one she was born with.

"A couple of years ago I started deteriorating so Chris offered to be tested to see if he was a match for me," she said.

Remarkably, Chris, the portfolio holder for culture on South Lakeland District Council's cabinet, was a match for her blood type - 0+.

The couple, of Valley Drive, Kendal, are expected to have their operations in July or August at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, which has an international reputation for pioneering expertise in transplant surgery.

Rachael said the difference a new kidney will make to her life is massive.

"I can feel the difference to the way I am now to what I was like a few years ago," said Rachael, a business support manager at Westmorland General Hospital

"I am much more tired and lethargic. I manage every day but I can't overdo it.

"I feel quite sickly at times, I've got to watch what I eat. I just know once the kidney starts to work you feel different. It's like having a massive energy drink."

And while the virus and its subsequent issue have affected her life, Rachael said it had also provided her with many opportunities, including winning tennis gold on multiple occasions at the British Transplant Games.

"It has changed my life but sometimes for the better," she said. "Also, I have been able to promote the donor card so there has been some good by it."