Sue Townsend campaigns for more organ donors

Bestselling author Sue Townsend has lent her support to a National Kidney Federation campaign which encourages people to sign up to the organ donor register, after her life was saved by a transplant.

The writer, who achieved fame with The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4, was on the organ transplant list for over two years because long-term diabetes was causing both of her kidneys to fail.

After the 63-year-old was placed on regular dialysis, her family - second husband Colin and children Sean, Daniel, Victoria and Elizabeth - were examined to see if any would be able to a donate a kidney - with 44-year-old Sean testing positive.

Townsend went through an eight-hour operation at Leicester General Hospital earlier this year and suffered a post-operative infection, but has since recovered.

'I've actually got three kidneys now - even if two are next to useless. Mind you Sean is proprietorial about what he still calls "his" kidney!' she added.

Earlier this month, the Department of Health revealed that an estimated one in eight people in England currently have kidney disease and claimed the NHS has improved diagnosis and treatment of the condition in the past five years.