"That day to day routine of having to do dialysis - that's gone. He's back to work part-time this week.
"This has definitely brought us closer together."
On May 18 at Christchurch Hospital, his left kidney was removed and hours later it was transplanted into his brother.
It was a straightforward operation, he said, with no side effects other than a bit of discomfort for the next two weeks.
"It's been pretty awesome the last six weeks.
"The first couple of weeks were pretty rough. It's quite invasive and they moved a few things around because of how the kidneys are connected to your internal plumbing.
"You feel sore in more than one area but I'm getting used to functioning with one kidney. It's all good.
"The outcome for the person who benefits is what you should think of.
"I wasn't a donor at all before, it's not something I'd really thought about."
The pair could not recover together, they were in different wards a floor apart. "I went to visit Grant a couple of days later as he was more isolated. I got locked out of my ward in just my gown."
On average, people only live for four to five years after they start dialysis, although some people can live for much longer.
Before his surgery Mr Tavinor had raised money for Kidney Health New Zealand through mountain biking events.
Yesterday the Rotorua Singlespeed Society handed over $6000 to the charity following on from the Anzac Singlespeed Championship in April.
"It's absolutely brilliant," said Kidney Health New Zealand ambassador Regan Johnson, who received a kidney three months ago.
"We appreciate this enormous effort. Having a transplant is life changing.
"You feel nearer to 100 per cent than death warmed up."
- For more information on how to become a live donor go to http://kidneydonor.org.nz/
The facts:
For the person receiving the kidney the advantages of a living donor transplant are:
* Having a transplant before the need for dialysis
* A shorter time on dialysis (this is especially important for children)
* The operation can be planned for a time that suits the potential donor
* A better success rate - the transplanted kidney usually works straight away and lasts longer
* A longer life expectancy than when living on dialysis
- Source: Kidney Health New Zealand
