Man knew something had to change after doctor told him 'you'll be lucky'

A devoted brother lost an incredible 17 stone so he could help save his sister's life. At his heaviest, Matthew Flanagan weighed 31st 3lbs and admitted to spending £6,000 on takeaways in a single year.

But the 24-year-old turned his life around after his sister, Emma, was diagnosed with kidney failure. The aviation worker was told he wasn't a match to donate a kidney to his sister, but if he lost weight he could join a 'kidney sharing' scheme.

This initiative allows him to donate his organ to any suitable recipient, thereby increasing Emma's chances of finding a match herself. But being so overweight meant Matthew was at a higher risk of experiencing surgical complications, which could potentially impact the function of his remaining kidney in the long term.

Matthew said: "I had already started losing weight when we got the news that my sister needed a transplant. [But] that was a big turning point for me.

"At the time my sister was in kidney failure, and I was eating my way to an early grave it was a lot for my family to deal with so I'm glad he was there for me. From then on, I knew what I needed to do. Not only did I need to make changes for my own long-term health, but for Emma's as well."

Matthew, from Lymm, Cheshire, who has been a carer for his mum since he was six, confessed he was surviving off a diet of "processed, high-sugar foods", spending thousands on takeaway meals. At just 19, his doctor warned him he would be "lucky to make it to the end of the year".

Matthew decided to join Slimming World to learn how to improve his eating habits. He said: "Hearing that from my doctor really hit home. I started to realise that everything you do has a consequence and that I was taking myself down a dark path."

"I bumped into a friend who looked great and told me he had lost weight with Slimming World. I went on to lose another 10st 5lbs with the help of my Slimming World group, so 16st 9lbs in total."

Now weighing a healthy 14st 8lbs, he has joined the kidney sharing scheme and even purchased his dream car, a classic Mini Cooper named Victory after his grandad Victor, which he previously couldn't fit behind the wheel of. He continued: "I've found such a huge support network at my group it really does feel like one big family."

"Before, I'd sit in my room playing video games with the blinds closed, now I can't wait to get up and go for a walk. I walk around four miles on my lunch break and some days I'll go for another walk again with my dad when I get home. I have so many things I would love to do now that before I could only dream of. I also felt more confident in myself which meant I put myself out there a bit more."

Matthew, who has been named Slimming World's Man of the Year, met his partner Anna at the club, and the pair of them now help keep each other on track with their weightloss.

Matthew said: "When I look back on what my life was like prior to my weight loss, I just don't recognise that version of myself anymore. A few years down the line and almost 17st lighter I've finally been accepted into the UKLSS, so later this year it's likely that I'll become a donor to someone in need of a kidney."

"This will make such a huge difference to my sister's chances of receiving a kidney herself. For me to be able to help my sister in this way means everything."