A SON is to give his ill father the ultimate gift today (Thursday) by donating his kidney.

Michael Farley, from Bishops Frome, has type two diabetes and only has one kidney that is working to 14 per cent of its capacity.

But the 64-year-old now has the opportunity to prolong his life with the help of his son Wayne, who has agreed to donate his kidney.

Both father and son will undergo operations today (Thursday) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

"It is a great thing that Wayne is doing and it means that it will prolong my life," said Michael, who worked as a maintenance engineer at Cargill between 1974 and 2013.

"I have been going to hospital for the last five to six years for tests, including blood tests to see how the kidney is functioning.

"The specialist told me that I would have to wait for my kidney to go down to 14 per cent workable before they could do anything about it.

"It went down to 14 per cent just before Christmas, so now I have been given the ok to go ahead with the transplant."

Wayne was an instant match when tested and had no hesitation in agreeing to be a donor.

"It first came to light about 18 months ago when myself and my family asked if there was anything we could do to help him," said Wayne.

"There was a possibility of being a donor.

"My sisters Gemma and Tracy both had tests and were compatible, but they have both got children, so being the oldest and having no children myself, I told my dad to put me down.

"I didn't think twice about it because it will mean that it will give him a better quality of life."

Wayne added that there are risks attached to the operations, but the doctors are confident that there will be no problems.

"We had a good chat with the doctors and surgeon and they said that it's just a routine operation and the risks are minimal," added Wayne.

"I could be out on Saturday, while dad will probably be in for around a week.

"My father is more worried about me and my mum is putting a brave face on, but I've just got to do it."