IT is one of the biggest sacrifices a brother could make.

Musa Gibba is in a race against time to find a donor for a lifesaving transplant.

So when brother Malick proved a match he was prepared to fly nearly 3,500 miles to Southampton to donate one of his kidneys to his older brother.

But his generosity has been crushed after immigration officials refused his application to temporarily enter Britain from West Africa.

Now Musa has made a desperate plea from his Southampton home for authorities to reconsider before it is too late.

Musa, 34, moved to Hampshire from his homeland The Gambia in 2007 to work in Eastleigh.

But disaster struck when the mechanic was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2009 by specialists at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.

He was put on the transplant waiting list and endures four-hour hospital dialysis sessions three days a week.

Daily Echo: Mus Gibba shows the letter which denies his brother from entering the UKThe letter refusing entry into the UK

The lengthy treatment and his failing health means he has been unable to work since 2010.

He has since separated from his wife, who lives with their four-year-old daughter in Eastleigh, and now relies heavily on cousin Mo Phatty to help with daily tasks.

Malick, 26, one of his two siblings, was confirmed as a donor in May last year.

Gambian hospitals are unable to carry out the procedure so Malick applied for a six-month permit to enter Britain for the operation on the NHS.

The period also covers time for post-surgery care and check-ups unavailable in his homeland.

But the Immigration Office ruled there was insufficient evidence he was intending to stay temporarily, despite Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust providing documents supporting his application.

Musa, said: “It’s heartbreaking. All I want is for brother to come over and save my life.

“After three years on the waiting list getting nowhere I was so excited and grateful to find a donor. Now day by day I am getting worse and running out of time.

“I have worked in this country and paid taxes and contributed to the country. But there are other people who don’t contribute and they can get help.”

He is appealing, but has condemned the authorities for demanding financial evidence such as payslips impossible for his brother to provide as he is paid cash in hand back home.

Musa, a Saints and Man City fan, was forced to give up playing Sunday League football and is too exhausted to do many activities with his daughter.

He added: “This condition has ruined my life. I would not wish what has happened to me on anyone. I just want to get back to being a normal dad again.

“If they can give me an organ, then fine, but otherwise all I want is for him to come to save me.”

A Home Office spokesman defended the decision.

He said: “All applications are considered on their individual merits, including any compelling and compassionate circumstances, and in line with the immigration rules.”