Dwayne Jones was building a shed on his Henrietta property the day he was asked what organ donation meant to him.
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Climbing up ladders and heavy manual labour would probably not have been on the agenda if Mr Jones had not received a new kidney from his sister five years ago.
The Tasmanian man is one of many Australians reflecting on what a transplant has meant to them for DonateLife week.
Many others are waiting to get the life-changing call saying they will get the transplant they need to live a full life.
DonateLife Week runs from July 23-30 and aims to encourage those thinking about organ donation to register and talk to their families about their decision.
"It can be a hard thing to discuss but the difference organ donation can make to someone's life is just amazing," Mr Jones said.
The now 55-year-old, a light vehicle mechanic, was diagnosed at 27 years of age with Polycystic Kidney disease.
That was the start of a gradual decline in health that meant he had two choices - be on dialysis for the rest of his life or join the long waiting list for a new kidney.
It was identified that his sister was potentially a compatible and willing living donor so Mr Jones travelled to Melbourne to have one of his kidneys removed to make room for a transplant.
Mr Jones returned to work post-transplant and continues with Grange Resources.
He's very grateful to his sister for her generosity, and acknowledges that if he was put on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney, his situation may have been very different.
"It was a big thing for her to do. We were not sure if it was going to be a match but luckily it was," he said.
"If it had not been I would definitely have be on dialysis while I waited for a transplant. You can get by through on dialysis but it is very time consuming and a real restriction on your life."
DonateLife says that in Australia, families are always asked to support someone's decision to be a donor before it goes ahead.
"Families are much more likely to agree if their loved one was registered and they knew they wanted to be a donor," DonateLife said.
There were 1800 Australians on the waitlist for a transplant in 2022 and a further 14,000 additional people on dialysis who may need a kidney transplant.
Sadly in 2022, around 30 Australians died while on the waiting list for an organ transplant and there are about 1800 still waiting for that lifesaving phone call.
DonateLife Tasmania Medical Director Andrew Turner urged people to talk about registering as an organ and tissue donor with their family, friends and work colleagues.
"The life of someone they love could depend on it," Mr Turner said.
"We know that the more Australians who register as organ and tissue donors, the more lives can be changed - and saved. Organ donation saves lives. It's that simple.
Anyone aged 16 and over can sign up online.
"Registering as an organ donor only takes one minute at donatelife.gov.au or just three taps in your Medicare app - but that minute could give someone a lifetime," Mr Turner said.
