Margaret says the idea came to her at a dinner party

NHS UK Transplant is currently considering the issue of so-called "altruistic organ donation".

The woman told the BBC she is willing to undergo the complex and potentially risky operation to enable a complete stranger to receive one of her kidneys.

Professor Robert Sells, retired transplant surgeon at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, has spent more than a year preparing her for the operation.

Live organ transplants are usually confined to the recipient's family members.

Her motivation is absolutely superb and thoroughly altruistic Professor Robert Sells

The woman - called Margaret - did not want to be fully identified.

"I don't want to be spotted by people in the street asking me to save their child's life," she explained.

"I also think some surgeons would be scared away by a woman who had her face all over the newspapers."

She said the idea first came to her when the topic was discussed at a dinner party.

"I thought I have had a healthy and lucky life and haven't been ill for years. I'm the ideal person," she said.

"The more I thought about it, the more compelling it became."

She also said she had considered the risks of being left with one kidney and those associated with the complex surgery required.

It's an idea you can get used to, quite easily I have found Margaret

"I'm very likely to come out of it well."

She added: "It's an idea you can get used to, quite easily I have found."

Professor Sells said altruistic donations offered a real solution to the problem of donor shortages.

And he said Margaret was a good potential donor.

"She went through a lot of tests and, in my view, she is fit and psychologically well kitted out for this particularly operation and, most importantly, her motivation is absolutely superb and thoroughly altruistic," he added.

'Rigorous screening'

Renal specialist Titus Augustine, from Manchester Royal Infirmary, said altruistic donations are feasible, but only after careful vetting of potential donors.

"They have to go through an extremely rigorous screening programme, including psychological tests before they are accepted onto the donor list," he said.

And medial ethics specialist Professor John Harris said the time is right for the idea to become widespread in the UK.

"I see no reason why this should be viewed with more suspicion than any other consent that an individual might give to a serious operation on themselves," he said.