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Two brothers have given the gift of life to others - after they both donated kidneys to people they’ve never met.

Siblings Stefan, 29, and Kevin Burke, 27, went through major operations after realising they could help sufferers who desperately needed a new organ.

Kevin decided to give a kidney after spotting a post on social media site Reddit.

Older brother Stefan was called in by their concerned dad in to talk Kevin out of it – but instead he decided to do the good deed as well.

Kevin said: “I would really like to be able to donate more money to charity but I don’t have enough money so instead I decided to give in another way.

Read more:Girl, 11, desperate for new kidney so she can eat McDonald’s with her friends

“I was really taken in when I read about live kidney donating chains. I knew immediately I wanted to be involved.

“On researching the subject it turned out there were loads of reasons to go ahead with it, and none to not.”

(Image: Ross Parry)

Older brother Stefan, who works with Kevin at a company that creates websites for bouncy castle companies, said: “My dad was worried that Kevin would be undergoing an unnecessary operation and that he didn't know who he was giving a kidney to - it could be a bad person.

“So when I rang Kevin to talk to him about Dad’s concerns he ended up talking me into it because it seemed such a great idea. And of course I could not be outdone by my younger brother.”

Read more:'Britain's youngest organ donor gives Hope to others - but we need more people to offer gift of life'

The brothers, who are best mates and “party buddies”, were surprised to read that only 100 kidneys a year are given through altruistic donation, yet 300 people die each year waiting for a kidney.

There are currently 5,600 people are on the NHS waiting list for a kidney transplant.

Stefan said: “The reality is that you can live perfectly fine on one kidney. So all the while you've got some people living a rotten life of pain and dialysis because they don't have one.

(Image: Ross Parry)

“We’ve got to realise how lucky we are. We have got a really good deal so it was great to be in a position to help somebody else.”

The brothers were raised in a caring household in Manchester, with nurse mum Lorraine Butterworth, 54, and retired support worker dad, Kiaran Burke, 62.

Although he’s not done anything on this scale before, Stefan believes he does his bit for society as he is a vegan and gives money to charity. Kevin is a vegetarian.

They started the ball rolling in August last year before tests were carried out to make sure they were healthy enough.

They both work for the same company so they had to stagger their operations. Each operation requires six weeks recovery time.

(Image: Ross Parry)

Luckily the government covers a person’s wages while they are off work sick after being a living kidney donor.

These operations only became legal in 2007, until then it was illegal to donate to someone you didn’t know.

Kevin had his operation on October 21 and Stefan had his on December 8.

Stefan, who is still recovering in the camper van that he calls home, said: “I decided to take my time off at Christmas when it would be fairly quiet.

“I do feel like a 70-year-old. I am recovering from major surgery after all. I really do feel quite ill.

“I am still getting all the care and attention, even though I decided to put myself in this position.

(Image: Ross Parry)

“My girlfriend is looking after me and my parents were there as I was having the operation.”

The operation to remove a kidney is a complex one where surgeons have to perform intricate surgery to take out a tightly packed organ.

So far, neither Kevin or Stefan know who received their kidneys.

Stefan said: “There was a woman in the local paper who said she’d got her kidney through an altruistic donor and I suspect I might be her donor, but you can't find out for sure unless you go through the proper channels.

“I hope to get in touch with my recipient as it would be nice to know who I have helped.”

(Image: Ross Parry)

And as for their dad, he finally came round to their way of thinking after doing his own research.

Stefan said: "“Dad is now really proud of us.”

The brothers got involved in the scheme through website www.giveakidney.org

Kevin, who is back to full health after his operation, said: “They say with charity you should give until it hurts - and that’s what we did.

“I’m not perfect, I’m still concerned with partying and all those things you’d expect from a guy of my age, but I’m also concerned about doing the right thing morally, and leaving this planet in a better state than I found it in.”