During that time she had to cope with the death of her husband James from lung cancer and two false dawns when a kidney came available but went elsewhere.

Her story will give hope to the many kidney patients still waiting for a transplant and a spur to act for people who support organ donation but have never quite got around to adding themselves to the national donor register.

Just a few months on from the successful transplant in October, Liz no longer makes the thrice weekly treks from her home in Anstruther to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

She visited the hospital today where doctors are still keeping a regular check on the functioning of her donated kidney.

For many years she had been dependent on the renal unit there, but she is doing so well that what started as checks every other day in the transplant’s aftermath are now reduced to checks once a fortnight.

While she doesn’t miss the she miss all the impediments to a normal life that come with kidney disease, Liz does miss the chums she made in the renal unit.

“You get to have a collection of friends on dialysis,” she said.

“That is what I am missing at the moment — the camaraderie and all the jokes.

“Ninewells has been excellent — all the doctors, nurses, auxiliaries, the people who come round and make tea for you when you are on the machine.”

Liz was first diagnosed with kidney disease 15 years ago.

“I was 40 years old and everybody was saying life begins at 40, but when I heard I had this problem.

“But now I am 55 and I’ve had my transplant life is beginning again.”

Liz lives near the Fife Coastal Path and thanks to her recent transplant she can now enjoy the spectacular views right on her doorstep.

She added, “I have just got so much energy now. On dialysis you just don’t have that.”

And it’s the simple joys Liz and other transplant recipients relish.

“It’s great to have a decent mug of tea, instead of the tiny wee cup you can take when you’re on dialysis,” said Liz.

Liz had resigned herself to the fact that getting a new kidney “might never happen”.

Dr Iain Henderson, head of Ninewells’ renal unit, said it was very unusual for someone to wait so long for a good match.

He said, “An 11-year wait is very exceptional. The vast majority of our patients can expect a kidney within two to three years.”

But he said finding a suitable match depended on a combination of factors and in the end it was just “the luck of the draw”.

Since April 1 last year over 1800 people across the UK has received an organ transplant. More than 6500 are still waiting.

To join the National Organ Donor Register, call 0845 60 60 400.