IT is quite simply a love that knows no boundaries.

Pensioners David and Pat Moule have been married for nearly 50 years and now she will give him the most generous gift ever – one of her kidneys.

Doctors dealt the couple a devastating blow when they said David’s life was in grave danger because his kidneys were failing.

They told him his organs were functioning at just 12 per cent – and a transplant was his best option for survival.

But the 72-year-old did not have to look far for a willing donor – his devoted wife Pat.

However, tipping the scales at 16 stone 9lb and unable to walk up the stairs without getting out of breath, doctors told her she was too overweight to undergo the procedure David so desperately needed.

But the love for her husband was so strong she needed little encouragement.

And just one year later, Pat, 69 - who said she has been overweight for more than 40 years – has remarkably lost more than five stone.

Amazingly she has passed a series of gruelling tests to become the perfect donor – something which is not even guaranteed for blood relatives.

Now, thanks to her sheer determination and devotion, she will brave the one-in-3,000 risk of death to undergo the operation to save her husband’s life.

Today the Totton pair are counting down the days before they go to hospital for the life-changing operation.

Pat said: “When you love someone it really isn’t a big decision to make. I’m just so grateful that I am compatible enough with him to do it.

“We have been through a lot together and sometimes there are things that drive couples apart and then there are things that pull you closer together.

That is what love is all about.

“He is my best friend as well as my husband and to be honest I can’t imagine not having him with me. I wouldn’t want to be here without him and I know by doing this it will make my life better as well because we will be able to do so much more.”

David, a retired research engineer, was told he had kidney disease more than 20 years ago but was recently diagnosed with End Stage kidney failure – a deteriorating condition with no cure.

Pat said: “It was devastating news, just awful. We thought that was it. It affects everything. David gets very tired and he only has to be active for about five minutes before he has to rest. But we were told it was only ever going to get worse.

“They mentioned a transplant and asked if there was anyone in the family who could help. I immediately wanted to help but the fact was I was obese and the doctor took one look at me and said ‘you are too fat.’”

But after a chance meeting with a friend, Pat was introduced to her local Slimming World group –and she has not looked back.