Donating one of her kidneys to a stranger just made sense to Toni Adams.
The Owhata resident was a mature student when she made the decision to donate.
"I was always giving blood when I was younger but was in the UK in the '90s and they wouldn't let me give blood anymore," Adams said.
"I don't know what made me think of it. I called the hospital one day and they said come on in and you do a series of interviews and tests."
Adams, who donated in 2004, wants to make others aware that you can donate while still alive, rather than just ticking the box to say you're a donor in death.
"For live donors like me they find the absolute best match and we are in the best health and have not had trauma."
Adams was given a small benefit to live on while recovering from the operation.
"I was in hospital for about four days, the recovery was big. You just have to do nothing for six weeks."
Now, with the passing of the Compensation for Live Donors Act, which came into effect in December, donors are entitled to compensation for loss of earnings for up to 12 weeks while they recover.
While it's not encouraged for donors and recipients to meet, Adams did meet her recipient a while after the surgery.
"She got in touch and it was really good hearing her story," Adams said.
"She was on dialysis for 13 hours a day. I got to hear what she could do now. She didn't have a life before that."
Adams said she enjoyed seeing the recipient look after herself and she was in good shape.
"I liked that. You don't get to choose who gets your kidney, you give it and it's not yours anymore."
Adams said while live organ donation isn't for everyone, she was confident those who do donate won't regret it.
"I spoke to one other woman about to do it and we spoke afterwards. We both agreed if we could we'd do it again. We wouldn't hesitate," Adams said.
"I'm confident people would not regret doing it."
Organ Donation New Zealand figures show in 2017, 69 living donors gave a kidney, compared to 118 from deceased donors.
In 2016, 82 came from living donors, while another 85 came from deceased donors.
Part of a liver can also be donated. In 2017, three living donors gave part of their liver.
Transplantation success rates from living donors aren't available but 91 per cent of kidney recipients from deceased donors live another year and 82 per cent live at least another five years.
The operation takes about three hours, and most donors take six to 12 weeks off work and spend three days in hospital.
LIVE DONATIONS: 69 live kidney donors in 2017. 118 deceased kidney donors in 2017 3 live liver donors in 2017 82 live kidney donors in 2016 85 deceased kidney donors in 2016
