The procedure, performed at the Royal London Hospital in July, was a success.

Mrs Buttigieg, who underwent the operation on her wedding anniversary, said: "My husband Mario and I were at a party and we sort of knew Manoly to say hello to, but that was all.

"I knew she had been ill but had no idea what exactly was wrong.

"Then during the course of the evening she told me how she had been waiting for a kidney and was on the transplant waiting list."

She was very upset and began telling me how her brother had come over from Laos, in south east Asia, to give her his kidney but had backed out at the last minute and gone home.

Mrs Buttigieg had to undergo a series of tests, but when she found out she could be a living donor for Mrs Viravong she was thrilled.

She said: "When the results came back and said I was a match I knew even more it was the right thing to do.

"I'm a Christian and I knew God was telling me to do this- and I also knew I'd be all right. I didn't have a second thought once."

Mrs Buttigieg spent several weeks recovering at home after the operation and was back at work in the schoolroom at Basildon Hospital by September.

She now feels "as fit as a fiddle."

"My life hasn't changed for the worse in anyway, but Manoly's has changed for the better.

"I know it's not something everyone wants to do but it was for me. It was an honour to become a living donor.

"Manoly is someone's mum, someone's wife, sister, cousin. I had to think, what if it was someone I loved needing a kidney? "You can give someone your time and your love but once in a blue moon you get the chance to give someone the most incredible gift of all – a part of yourselves."

Mrs Viravong originally from Laos, said: "When Veronica and I got chatting at the party, I was very down as my brother had been over and was due to give me his kidney, but he backed out.

"We were talking and then Veronica turned to her husband and said 'would you mind if I gave Manoly one of my kidneys'?

"At first I thought she was probably joking, but then when she pursued it I realised she meant it.

"I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, as there was a big chance her kidney wouldn't be a match for me because of our ethnicity differences.

"I've said to myself a hundred times, 'what if I hadn't gone to that party'? I was feeling really ill that night and I could have easily not gone. Thank God I did."

Mrs Viravong was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease when she gave birth to her first child 18 years ago.

Her kidney function was just 50 per cent and deteriorated gradually until she began dialysis – and was put on the transplant list – two years ago.

“Both kidneys were affected and they had come to the end of their life,” she said. “The doctors said I needed a transplant.”

At the time of the op she was having eight and a half hours of dialysis every night.

Now, she is recovering from the surgery at her home in Leigh and her new kidney has reacted well with her body.

She said: "I no longer need dialysis and, for the first time in a long time, I'll be able to fly home to see my family.

"Of course Veronica and I are so close now. It's not just my life this has changed, but my husband's, my children, my wider family. They are all so grateful to Veronica. It's a blessing we appreciate every day.

"I don't know how to thank Veronica for what she has done. She is with me all the time now. I walk around with her kidney inside me, but it's more than that. It's a connection that I find hard to put into words."

There are more than 6,500 people waiting for a donor kidney and fewer than 2,000 transplants carried out each year.

Lisa Burnapp, Lead Nurse for Living Donation at NHS Blood and Transplant said: "Altruistic non-directed kidney donation is showing a rising trend in the UK as more people decide to help someone that they do not know by donating a kidney.

"These are spontaneous and voluntary offers of donation, motivated by a decision to do something genuinely good for someone in need.

"This means that more patients can enjoy a life with their families and loved ones that is free from dialysis. With increased awareness and improved information, it is anticipated that such offers of donation will continue to increase.

"Anyone wishing to be an altruistic donor will need to contact their local transplant centre. A list of these and information about living donation can be found at www.organdonation.nhs.uk"