His 36-year-old son lives and works in London, so Mr Cheong did not ask him.

'I then spoke to my elder sister about it. She did not hesitate at all. She straightaway said she wanted to donate her kidney to me,' said Mr Cheong.

The only issue was her age.

Madam Chiang, who is divorced, said in Mandarin: 'I said I'll tell my children and then I'll do all the necessary medical tests. If I pass, I want to give my brother my kidney.'

She knew her children were worried for her because of her age.

'I knew what they felt in their hearts. But they also knew that I was determined to do it. I love my brother. So they supported me all the way,' she said.

Family gave full support

They followed her to all her medical appointments at the Singapore General Hospital.

She said: 'Either my son or my daughter would go with me because I cannot read English. They would also sit in with me during all the doctors' consultations and explain everything to me.'

After a few months of tests, she was pronounced fit and able to donate her kidney.

On 30 Apr, she and Mr Cheong underwent the operations that would give him a new lease of life.

If she had not been able to donate her kidney, Mr Cheong's second elder sister, who is also in her 60s and who lives in Perth, was ready to fly back to undergo tests to see if she could be a suitable donor.

Madam Chiang's two children, both in their 40s, were also keen to donate if their mother's health disqualified her from going through with the donation.

Said Madam Chiang's son, Mr Lum Yong Teng, 45: 'From our perspective, we have to be supportive of our mother.

'She had made up her mind, so even if we were worried for her because of her age, we would help her in her endeavour.

'And if she could not, we were ready to step in.'

Madam Chiang was so fit that she was well enough to leave the hospital two days after her operation. But she stayed an extra day just to be on the safe side.

Mr Cheong, who resigned from the civil service in 1992 to join Sembawang Corporation, which he left in 2002, said: 'The timing was somehow just right for me.

'After I resigned, my health gave me issues, so I had time to look after it.

'Now, I watch what I eat very carefully. I have lost about 16 kg. (I've gone) from 86 kg to 70 kg.'

Added Mr Cheong, a senior adviser at Sembawang: 'I recently went back to playing golf after my transplant and I spend time on qigong as well. I am looking forward to many more years of healthy living.'

And so is Madam Chiang, who went off on a cruise holiday after this interview.

This article was first published in The New Paper on November 04, 2008.

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