Her mood is upbeat, her eyes are bright and 18 months of dialysis at Bendigo Health already feels like a distant memory. 

“Sometimes I’ve got to remind myself to slow down, that I’ve had a major operation,” Ms Derby, who suffered from polycystic kidney disease, said.  

Speaking during DonateLife Week, an annual initiative encouraging organ and tissue donation, the 52-year-old explained how gifted organs transformed her family’s life.  

Not only was Ms Derby an organ recipient, her mother, Gwen, also underwent a kidney transplant for polycystic kidney disease. 

Her 25-year-old daughter has also been diagnosed with the hereditary condition.  

“It does follow you around a little bit, but you have to get on with it,” she said when asked how it felt knowing this was a process she would eventually endure. 

“I also think it gives you time to accept it.”

Peter Van Schajik, another Bendigo kidney recipient, did not have so long to prepare; he was struck down last year with an aggressive case of IgA nephropathy, a build-up of antibodies in the kidneys.

Eight weeks ago, a transplant operation freed him from four days of dialysis every week. It also put to an end a horror three-year period during which time a workplace accident left Mr Van Schajik with burns to 35 per cent of his body. 

He said the impact of his transplant was immediate, feeling like a “veil had been lifted” as soon as the anaesthetic wore off. 

Household jobs half-done for more than one year suddenly seemed achievable. 

“You’ve got more of a positive outlook on life,” Mr Van Schajik said. 

He was excited for three months of post-operation recuperation to end so he could get back to work.  

He was training for a new job when the kidney condition developed.  

Nurse donation specialist Craig Sloan said there was overwhelming support for organ donation in the community. 

But even though 70 per cent of people were keen to give their organs to others, only one-third of Australians were registered to do so. 

He said people considering becoming organ donors needed to look no further than Mr Van Schajik and Ms Derby for a reason to register. 

“When you see how unwell they were, then see them here today, happy and healthy, that’s all you need to get on board,” Mr Sloan said. 

The pair of organ recipients both planned on writing to the families of their donor to explain how much they appreciated the gift of life. But it was a difficult letter to start penning, with neither able the find the right words just yet. 

What Mr Van Schajik could say, however, is that he hoped Australia would change to an “opt-out” donation system, in which people would part with their organs at death unless they stipulated otherwise. 

“There’s a lot more potential for kidney donorship,” he said.