James said the operation had left him feeling better and full of gratitude.
"Just to feel better and to feel different, no one can see that, but just to feel the way I'm feeling, it means everything," he said.
"I'm full of gratitude. I continually questioned him, I said, 'Are you sure about this?' Because it's just such a massive gesture.
"I call him a hero, even though he hates that, but I don't care."
The most common transplant surgery in Australia, the operation carries a high success rate: more than 94 per cent of transplants work one year later.
According to Kidney Health Australia, patient survival is at 91 per cent for five years and 46 per cent for 20 years for first transplants from deceased donors, and subsequent transplants carrying a similar survival rate.
Currently 1800 Australians are waitlisted for a transplant. A further 13,000 are on dialysis who may need the operation, according to Donate Life.
