![Stephen Smith returned to work, volunteering for Vinnies after a successful kidney transplant. Picture by Paul Scambler Stephen Smith returned to work, volunteering for Vinnies after a successful kidney transplant. Picture by Paul Scambler](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/184500760/8405f335-f803-461b-9cba-74c63c3385a9.jpg/r0_0_8256_5504_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
At 12-years-old, Stephen Smith was enjoying playing basketball at a regional and state level.
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But it was after a game when he knew something was wrong, when he found dark blood in his urine.
A hospital visit found he had Nephritis - a condition in which the tissues in the kidney become inflamed and have problems filtering waste from the blood.
With a few modifications to his diet and medication, things were mostly normal for Mr Smith for most of his life.
But a few years ago, routine tests discovered gradual deterioration in his kidney function, to a point where they were operating at four per cent of their capacity.
The discovery forced him to undergo dialysis treatment for two years, and in that time he went on the waitlist for a transplant.
"The biggest impact it had on me was fluid retention, I had very fat ankles full of fluid but when I had the transplant, I lost four kilos just in fluid," Mr Smith said.
Finally in the spring of 2023 at 62-years-old, Mr Smith received the news that a donor had become available.
"The kidney had come from a young lady from New South Wales," Mr Smith said.
"The transplant was very successful, it's a very good kidney."
A new coffee kick
Mr Smith wasn't much of a coffee drinker before the transplant.
After he received his new kidney, he said he had a sudden craving for it, immediately after coming out of the surgery.
"I drink coffee a lot now and I never used to drink it all," Mr Smith said.
![Stephen Smith returned to work, volunteering for Vinnies after a successful kidney transplant. Picture by Paul Scambler Stephen Smith returned to work, volunteering for Vinnies after a successful kidney transplant. Picture by Paul Scambler](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/184500760/898950ed-d07a-4de6-8a56-ec5f2080b355.jpg/r0_0_8256_5504_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), this isn't an uncommon experience.
A study into cellular memory found personality changes following heart transplants, which have been reported for decades, include accounts of recipients acquiring the personality characteristics of their donor.
Tasmanian donors among the highest
A report from the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA) reported Tasmania had its highest ever annual organ tissue donation outcome in 2023.
Tasmania currently leads the country with donation and consent rates, at 36.7 donors per million population, compared to the national average of 19.3.
DonateLife Tasmania state medical director Andrew Turner said the lives of 57 people were saved when they received a transplant last year, thanks to the generosity of 21 Tasmanians.
![Stephen Smith returned to work, volunteering for Vinnies after a successful kidney transplant. Picture by Paul Scambler Stephen Smith returned to work, volunteering for Vinnies after a successful kidney transplant. Picture by Paul Scambler](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/184500760/de8ad737-43df-416c-8e2b-6b31597ea076.jpg/r0_0_8256_5504_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We call on all Tasmanians to take two simple steps. If you want to be a donor, make sure you tell your family, so they are certain about your donation wishes," Dr Turner said.
Secondly if you haven't yet registered, sign up as an organ and tissue donor at donatelife.gov.au or on your Express Plus Medicare app."
Mr Smith said he considered himself lucky and grateful for the new kidney, and returned to work volunteering at St Vincent De Paul Society.
"I asked one of the doctors there [in Melbourne] and he said in Australia, there's 120,000 kidney transplants a year, that's a large number," Mr Smith said.