A BRAVE Largs mum is ready to donate one of her own kidneys to her toddler son who has lost both of his due to a rare disorder.

Nicola Buchanan's little boy Mitchell, four, is currently on daily dialysis lasting up to ten hours at a time.

His mum wants to donate one of her own kidneys in a double op later this year.

Little Mitchell has nephrotic syndrome - a disorder which causes his body to excrete too much protein in his urine.

Nicola said: "What Mitchell has is really rare.

"It was two years ago when we were on a family holiday in Lanzarote that Mitchell started to get very puffy eyes.

"We went to three different chemists and doctors and the only way they were able to find out what it was by having a urine sample at A&E.

"They said straight away that it was a kidney issue.

"He was patched up and we returned home and went to the children's hospital in Glasgow, where he was in for six weeks and was diagnosed."

Nicola, who is a primary school teacher, and husband David face a nervous wait to see if she will be able to donate a kidney to her son.

After six months of tests, it will be later this year before she finds out the results.

She said: "Mitchell has to go to the hospital for blood scans and hopefully we can both get the operation done this year.

"After another three or four months to go, I hope to be ready.

"They are trying various things with me.

"If things don't work out it would be on to the deceased donor list, but it is looking hopeful that it will be me."

A kidney transplant is only expected to last 10-20 years and the likelihood is that Mitchell will need another in future.

Doctors say that Mitchell's condition is particularly aggressive.

Nicola said: "With most people they respond to steroids but one in 10 don't.

"Unfortunately Mitchell was one of those one in ten and didn't respond to the treatment.

"He then didn't respond to the second line of treatment.

"He now requires 10 hours of dialysis a night, having had his second kidney taken out in April after his first one was removed in October last year."

While his daily dialysis regime is exhausting, Nicola says her young son is a 'little trouper who does really well' given the circumstances.

Last month a group of local ladies walked round Millport to raise funds for the charity Kidney Kids Scotland on behalf of little Mitchell.

The family recently spent two nights at a Kidney Kids weekend where children from all over Scotland enjoyed two days of fun while their parents attended informative advice talks.

Mitchell's gran Eleanor, who took part in the charity walk with Nicola, said: "We were delighted with the amount raised.

"It hasn’t been easy for them, especially now Mitchell is on daily dialysis which takes ten hours every night.

"Fortunately they can do that at home, so that helps a bit.

"It does however for the time being curtail any overnight stays with granny and grandpa until he gets his new kidney."

The family have thanked everyone who contributed to the £1,000 raised for Kidney Kids Scotland, which works closely with the Queen Elizabeth Children’s Hospital to help children and families.