AFTER years of battling kidney failure this Hampshire man is determined to thank the hospital staff who helped him.

Tony Burton had to go to hospital every other day for haemo-dialysis before his kidney transplant.

It was an excruciating time for the 54-year-old and his wife Sue – who was told at the last minute that she would not be able to donate her kidney, meaning they had to wait for a new donor.

The pair, who have been married for seven years, last year received the perfect Christmas present – a new kidney for Tony.

Now they want to thank nurses at the hospital by donating more than £800 for the renal department to pursue research projects.

Sue, 54, an optician from Fareham, has her own company and to celebrate World Kidney Day in March she donated ten per cent of all sales to the department.

She said: “It was heartbreaking to see Tony go through all the procedures and he was completely exhausted by the dialysis.”

She added: “Tony has always been very positive and he is really outgoing. It’s amazing how much he has recovered now.

“We just want a chance to say ‘thank you’ to all the staff and the patients at Queen Alexandra who were all so supportive and kind.

“We are thrilled with the amount raised.”