The Otago Daily Times reported in August Mr Stephens (37) decided to give one of his healthy kidneys to his sister, Janette Liggins (47), who has Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies attack and destroy the glands which produce tears and saliva.
Symptoms of Sjogren's syndrome are a dry mouth and dry eyes.
The disorder can affect other organs, including the kidneys.
Yesterday, Mr Stephens told the ODT from his home at Frankton the surgery was a success and Mrs Liggins was improving daily.
"It was perfect. It went very well. Janette's body has accepted my kidney and there's no sign of any rejection. She's doing very well."
While there was no indication yet as to whether she had been cured of the syndrome, Mr Stephens said she no longer had a dry mouth.
Mrs Liggins was taking 28 pills a day, including anti-rejection medication she would continue to take for the rest of her life.
While Mr Stephens said he was not a "drama person" and took the operation in his stride, a call he received from a Dunedin man after the ODT's last report gave him some much-needed reassurance.
"He had a friend who . . . became really ill and might have passed away. He decided to give a kidney to a stranger. He just went in there and donated a kidney to a lady.
"After being in hospital and seeing all the people there - it's the only place in Sydney that they do transplants and some people wait there for five or 10 years . . . for a kidney from a deceased person. [The man] just went in and said, `I'd like to donate a kidney.'" He just wanted to ring up and reassure me. That was a great outcome. It gave me peace of mind."
Mr Stephen's said his scar was similar to that of a Caesarean, but the pain he experienced was "nothing" compared with the broken femur he suffered a couple of years ago.
His operation lasted just 90 minutes.
The kidney was flushed out before Mrs Liggett's surgery, which lasted about four hours.
"They were very impressed with the size of it [the kidney] and how well it was working. Normal kidneys are between 7cm and 9cm; mine was 12."
While Mrs Liggett is under strict instruction to stay house bound for three months - "just like home detention" - Mr Stephens said he was impressed with his golf game following the operation.
"I had a game of golf in a cart with half a swing and I shot a 79.
"I was just bunting it down the fairway . . . they were going down the middle and I was playing really well."
