A potential kidney donor has come forward after reading of the plight of Kingsdown School dinner lady Julie Francis-Lang in the Wiltshire Times.

Mrs Francis-Lang, who lives with her three children Mica, 19, Courtney, 17, and Gary, 15, in Westbury, has struggled with polycystic kidney disease since the symptoms started developing in her early 40s.

The 48-year-old has been on the transplant waiting list for the past six years, but due to her rare blood type, which is B Positive, she has never been contacted to say there is a suitable donor.

However, days after her story appeared in the Wiltshire Times a woman who has the same blood type made contact with Mrs Francis-Lang to say she wanted to help.

On Wednesday last week the potential donor went for a range of tests to determine if she is suitable for the transplant, the results of which will take six weeks to come back.

Mrs Francis-Lang said: “I spoke to her about three days after the story came out.

“She has been for tests and wants to go through with it if the tests show that we are a perfect match. Just because she is the same blood group doesn’t necessarily mean it will go ahead, as there are a number of other things that need to match.

“I was shocked when I heard from her as I didn’t think anything would come from the story, but she said she wanted to help me and my young family.

"It’s marvellous, but I’m going to keep taking each day as it comes as I have been let down before and it is a long process.”

Polycystic kidney disease is a genetic condition that causes multiple cysts to develop on the kidneys, causing them to lose function.

Mrs Francis-Lang has been undergoing dialysis eight hours every night for the past two years, while still managing a four hour shift at the school from Monday to Friday.

She added: “It’s great to have some hope and my children are chuffed to bits.

"We have waited a long time for someone to come forward and it’s truly incredible that someone would do this for a complete stranger.”