Kidney transplant pals Derek Marshall and Bill Brough will be celebrating the arrival of 2003 together.

The pair from Teesside, underwent a seven-hour operation at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital in early December.

Mr Marshall, 56, offered one of his kidneys to his 54-year-old best friend who had suffered renal failure after contracting Legionnaire's disease.

Both are now recovering well after being released from hospital to celebrate Christmas.

I was one of 130 people on Teesside on dialysis, which is very telling on your body Bill Brough

They say they hope their story will prompt others to consider non-relative donations, giving more kidney patients the chance of a normal life.

Mr Marshall, a father-of-two, was allowed home just 48 hours after the operation with his lifelong friend allowed out of hospital on Christmas Eve.

'No guarantees

Mr Brough, from Great Ayton, will have daily treatment at the Freeman Hospital at Newcastle until doctors transfer his care to medics on Teesside.

He said: "I'm feeling a lot better than I was.

"There was always a gamble, there's no guarantees, but it's worked for me.

"There's still some fine-tuning to be done to balance my kidney function with the anti-rejection drugs, but I'm in the best hands in the world.

"I was one of 130 people on Teesside on dialysis which is very telling on your body.

"I'm not dialysing now and that's a massive relief."

Donor match

Mr Marshall said: "I am mobile I am doing a bit of walking round - I am really surprised at how well I feel."

Mr Brough had been unable to find a donor match from his own family.

Surgeons used advanced keyhole surgery equipment to remove one of Mr Marshall's healthy kidneys, leaving a relatively small wound.

The two men have known each other since they were both pupils at Whinney Banks Primary School in Middlesbrough.

Mr Brough, who runs a shipping company, contracted Legionnaire's Disease on a trip to Mexico in 2001, and although he survived the potentially fatal bug, he was left with kidney failure.