Richard and his uncle Tom are recovering well after the kidney transplant operation.

A man from Huntingdon has played down the part he played he ensuring his uncle had a better quality of life by donating him a kidney.

Richard Tibbetts, 45, from Huntingdon, repairs dialysis machines at Northwick Park Hospital, London, and says he

has seen first-hand how people are kept alive on dialysis machines, but he didn’t want that for his uncle.

Richard agreed to donate one of his kidneys when his uncle, Tom Godson, began to experience kidney failure.

Tom, 67, from the West Midlands was diagnosed with kidney problems 20 years ago.

Richard said: “I’ve always been close to my uncle and it just seemed like the right thing to do.

“People said it was heroic but I don’t see it like that.

“There were a lot of tests, but I turned out to be a perfect genetic match which is usually only found in identical twins. I mean I’m close to Tom but not that close.”

So how is he coping with one kidney?

“I haven’t had to change anything and doctors told me that the remaining kidney usually grows larger over time to cope. I’ve no regrets and was just glad to help.”

Richard, who spent several months recovering after being told to stay at home during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, has just returned to work

“I’ve got to know a lot of the patients well over the years but sadly a few have passed away from the virus while I was off. It’s sobering not to see them but it’s good to be back and keeping busy.”

Richard and his uncle are now recovering from their procedures.

“They say the recipient usually takes longer to recover than the donor but my uncle came to visit me the next day while I was still in bed feeling rough.

“I had something to say to him about that but we’re both doing fine now.”