Her part, which she is keen to play down, was to donate one of her kidney’s to a young man she greatly admires and has known since birth 27 years ago, Toby Dawson.

Toby had endured a lifetime of medical treatment but his latest challenge kidney failure meant he had few options unless he was able to receive a healthy kidney.

The doctors are miracle     makers they are the ones who give people back their lives, Mary-Jane said.

“I was simply a part of that miracle the doctors performed, and already Toby’s life has improved tenfold,” she said.

“The donated kidney worked immediately and it is making a huge difference to Toby as he was straight off dialysis.”

Ms Britten said in 2015 99 kidney transplants were performed in NSW and a third of those were made by living donors.

But there is a growing demand for donated organs and people must really consider ticking the boxes on their licence and letting their relatives and friends know they want to be organ donors, she said.

“Organs from one person can save the lives of ten gravely ill people – that’s how important it is to ensure you make that decision to be a donor,” she said.

“Having seen the difference a donated kidney has made in Toby’s life – it is something I am passionate about promoting in the community.” 

Ms Britten’s neighbour who underwent a lung transplant a decade ago is alive today thanks to that donation.

And it was seeing the impact of that donation which also influenced her decision to help Toby and his family.

Toby was born with heart complications that required multiple heart surgeries but tragically when he was 11 years old problems following another operation resulted in him becoming a paraplegic.

“But he never missed a beat, the operation took place a week before his school year finished but he was back at school at the start of the next year but this time confined to a wheelchair,” she said.

“He was a high achiever despite his disability and continuing health problems. He completed a university degree and worked for IBM in Sydney.

“Toby was such an amazing person and then he was struck down with kidney disease which rapidly escalated due to his heart condition.”

With kidney donation his only real option Toby’s family - his sister and a cousin started the process to see if they would be suitable candidates.

For Mary-Jane having been friends with Toby’s mother Lise for years and knowing Toby since his birth she decided to join the other two and see if she was compatible.

“As a mother I know you would do anything for your children, I felt Lise’s pain as neither she or her husband Ben were able to donate due to their own health issues,” she said.

“To me if you can make a difference especially if there will be no expected impacts on your life you should jump at that opportunity.”

Mary -Jane talked, in particular to her two sons, and also her husband and family about her wish to donate a kidney and they all understood and supported her wishes.

At the end of the preliminary tests it turned out Mary Jane would be the better donor candidate.

Mary-Jane said the whole process was quiet effortless with all the tests done locally and bulk billed.

The team at Royal Prince Alfred’s hospital in Sydney where the transplant operation was performed were brilliant, she said.

“Toby and I had separate teams so there is no conflict of interest and you have to undergo a compulsory psychiatrist meeting but at all times I felt so special and so well cared for, the whole process was a wonderful experience,” Mary- Jane said.

Now almost fully recovered and back at her work as a district school counsellor, Mary -Jane reckons it as more painful and more traumatic undergoing her two knee surgeries.

A former teacher at Singleton High School Mary- Jane is working towards gaining her registration as a psychologist.

She is hoping her story will encourage more people to become donors and become a part of a medical miracle.