Would you donate your kidney to your mate? Luckily, most of us don't have to make that decision, but for Kiwi family man Andy Bryant his answer was a simple and immediate 'yes'.
Bryant donated his kidney to his old university mate Conal Beban, and together they are now promoting organ donations and taking part in the World Transplant Games, National Correspondent Amanda Gillies has the story.
On a glorious summer's day in Ōtautahi / Christchurch, two mates went for a midday run in the central park. Nothing out of the ordinary in New Zealand.
What makes this so special, so different, is that Conal Beban's main kidney used to be in Andy Bryant's body.
"My kidney is having a holiday there; it's got it so sweet," Bryant laughs, pointing to Beban's stomach.
"No, he's doing a good job of it, which has been the biggest thing I have got out of this, how proud I am of Conal, how he's looking after it," he told Newshub.
It is, Beban replies, the least he can do.
"It's very humbling, that someone thinks you are worth saving."
It's been a long six-year journey for Beban.
Back in 2017, the normally fit and healthy Whakatū / Nelson family man was feeling off.
He was struggling to sleep and breathe, so he checked in with his doctor.
"Which normally I wouldn't do because I would expect it to go away by itself, but the doctor did a few tests and told me to drive straight to the emergency department," Beban told Newshub.
With sky-high blood pressure, he spent the next five days in intensive care in Whakatū / Nelson, then another five in the general ward.
Tests revealed his kidneys were failing - working at about 16 percent of capacity - and he was told he'd require dialysis.
He wasn't fazed initially.
"I was very naïve. I remember thinking 'oh I will give that a try, see how it goes'. I thought it was something you could try whenever you needed it. Turns out it was not."
Weirdly, he said, he was feeling great. Unfortunately, his kidneys weren't, and eventually a transplant was required.
"I didn't specifically go on a transplant list. I let my mates know what was going on - I didn't specifically ask any, but I was probably dropping the hint," he smiled.
One of those mates was Bryant - the pair met at university.
They caught up for a drink at a pub in Ōtautahi / Christchurch.
"I had a soda at the pub when normally I wouldn't have and that's what shocked him more than my physical state to be honest," laughed Beban, who had dropped about 15 kilograms due to his medication.
Beban told him about his condition, and Bryant said offering his kidney to his mate was a given.
"We are all different but for me it was a straightforward process. And straight off the bat it was 'we will find out if the medicine decides for us' and go from there," he said.
The testing process was rigorous, but Bryant was eventually given the green light. He said that it was an unforgettable day.
"I can still remember the phone call, where I was, what I was doing that day, what the weather was doing, getting to ring him up and say 'hey we are good to go'."
He had the full support of his family based in Hakatere / Ashburton.
Beban was blown away.
"It's quite amazing, it's hard to describe because at the same time you feel guilty that a friend has offered to go through this but at the same time you feel immense gratitude."
While the long lead-up to the transplant was mentally and physically tough, the actual procedure was a straightforward success.
"It was a strange day, don't get me wrong, cause it's voluntary," said Bryant.
"And when I got wheeled into the operating ward I was like 'shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,' but nah, it was fine and when you wake up you have a hole in you but it's grand."
Beban found the recovery "really easy".
"The only thing I had to be worried about on the day of the operation was making sure Andy came out alright," he said. "Once that was done, I was good to go."
Trauma insurance and income protection, through Partner's Life, allowed him all the time he needed to recover, physically and financially.
For that, he was grateful.
And while he was recovering in bed, Beban read about the World Transplant Games.
He figured the best way to pay Bryant back was to look after his kidney and stay fit and healthy. He thought the 5km run at the Games was a good way to get back into shape.
The Games were held in Perth in April this year.
Bryant agreed to join him, where they were among the very few donor-recipient pairs.
Most organs aren't harvested until the donor has passed away.
"People would say 'where did you get your kidney?' And I would say 'he's just over there'," said Beban. "That was awesome."
Beban finished the 5km race, and he was delighted.
Bryant ended up with a bronze medal in it, plus a gold in pétanque for good measure.
"I would jump at the chance to go again," Andy said. "It was pretty powerful, pretty cool, and pretty special, very memorable."
The good mates are among the lucky ones - there were about 180 kidney transplants last year
About 600 Kiwis are still on the waiting list currently.
"He changed my life," Beban said.
"He gave my life back basically, people who give organs, it's the most unselfish thing you can do. You are literally cutting out a part of your body to save someone's life and give someone their life back."
And together, the two men will now lead their best possible lives, with plenty of laughs and banter, taking nothing for granted.
