The family of poet Hugo Williams – pictured with his granddaughter, Silver - has launched an appeal to find a kidney donor for him. Hugo Williams won the TS Eliot Prize in 1999, and the Queen’s Gold Medal for poetry in 2004. He has been undergoing dialysis for several years. His poem, ‘From the Dialysis Ward,’ was published in the London Review of Books last year, and includes these lines: “The shock of remembering, / having forgotten for a second, / that this isn’t a cure, / but a kind of false health, / like drug addiction”.

The family have launched a Facebook page, Help Hugo Williams, Poet, Find a Kidney. On average, the waiting time for a deceased donor kidney transplant is about three years. Waiting times are so long because the demand for donated kidneys in the UK is far higher than the available supply of donors. The family fears that if he does not receive a transplant soon, his deteriorating health will make him ineligible for one.

Murphy Williams, daughter of the 72-year-old poet, said: “The Facebook and Twitter response has been totally unexpected - the Facebook page has almost 700 followers after a week - and very moving for my father. Several past donors have posted their heroic experience on the page: ‘For the sake of a couple of months' discomfort and a life just as it was before,’ writes Jo Lanyon, for example, ‘what better thing can a person do to a fellow human being?’ “

Williams is the son of actor Hugh Williams and the model and actress Margaret Vyner. His brother is the actor Simon Williams.

His daughter added: “If you or someone you know is considering donating, please call the live donor nurses on 0207 317 7604 or 0207 830 2189 ext 34131. Hugo's date of birth is 20.2.42 and he is on dialysis at the Mary Rankin Unit. His blood group is O, so anyone with that most common group would be compatible.

“There is no age limit (an 85-year-old just became the oldest live donor). There is a very thorough screening process, with the emphasis on the donor's absolute safety. A thousand of these operations were carried out in the UK last year.

“Please join, tweet #teamhugo and share the facebook.com/HugoWilliamsKidney page."