Earlier this year, after spending months on dialysis, he was at the receiving end of a kidney donation.

It's an experience that not only saved his life, but it also changed it forever.

Mr Egan was one of four people to benefit from a paired kidney exchange. One of the four donors involved in the exchange was none other than his fiance Carly Davies.

RELATED: Noel Robey's 'unbelievable' gift of a life

Now, the pair want to thank the army of supporters who helped them through the worst two years of their lives.

Mr Egan had spent almost 20 years working as a truck driver on the mainland and overseas.

After purchasing their dream property at Turner's Marsh, the couple were ready to embrace a new lifestyle in Tasmania - but life had other plans.

"I was feeling tired, fatigued all the time," Mr Egan explained.

"I was used to being tired, it was just part of the job. So I put a lot of it down to 'I'll be right if I just get a decent nights sleep'.

"All of a sudden, you go to your doctor and you think they are going to tell you I need some time off, or there's a magic pill out there that will fix it.

"But I ended up in hospital with diverticulitis, so an infection in my stomach. That was dealt with through antibiotics, I was lucky I didn't need an operation.

"But at the same time, they picked up my kidneys were only functioning at 25 per cent. Then everything started to get pieced together."

After being referred to a specialist, Mr Egan was told he would need to go onto dialysis. But when his kidney function reached 4 per cent, he was put on the list for a kidney transplant.

But knowing it could be months, even years before a match was found, the couple decided to sign up for a paired exchange.

The program matches incompatible kidney donors with recipients pairs with other incompatible pairs across Australia and New Zealand.

As Ms Davies explained, she was a close match for Mr Egan, but there were risks.

"It's like being hit by a bus, trying to keep up with all this new information and what it means," she said.

"We were both incredibly fit people until we weren't. Everything was thrown at us in a matter of months.

"But we always thought no matter what happens, we will get through it, just us. Turns out there was an army of people out there who helped us. I was a match for John, but not a perfect match. So we could have gone ahead, but it would have been risky."

Ms Davies said they put their name down for the paired exchange in the hope that Mr Egan would end up with an even better match.

"The whole process provided some relief, it provided some relief knowing there's a whole group of people in this chain, going through this with us," she said.

Last year, 1683 Australian lives were transformed by 548 deceased organ donors.

Today, there are now more than 1700 on a waitlist for a life-saving transplant, with a further 12,000 Australians on dialysis - many of whom would benefit from a kidney transplant.

Since receiving his new kidney, Mr Egan has gone through many highs and lows - including a rejection that resulted in him being flown to Melbourne in a critical condition.

But this month he reached two significant milestones - celebrating his 58th birthday and returning to work.

"Before a few years ago, I had never had a sick day in my life. Then, suddenly, I was struggling every day. I ended up having to take long-term sick leave," he said.

"You start to feel like a burden to people. It was as much of a mental journey as it was a physical one. But all the way through it, the lows, something I always aimed for was to be able to go back to work. It kept me going, and on Tuesday I did it."

Having been given a second chance on life, the couple are now hoping to be able to get back to doing the things they love - including one day getting married.

Mr Egan said a simple thank you would never be enough, but it was a start.

"Experiences like this certainly humble you. I have a whole new perspective on life and if by telling my story I can get one other person to consider organ donation, that's enough for me," he said.