While many were opening up their presents on Christmas morning, 53-year-old Greg Davidson was getting a kidney transplant.

Davidson, of Bay Shore, got the call early on Dec. 25 that a deceased donor was a perfect match. It came after undergoing five years of dialysis, three times a week, for four hours at a time.

The Marine veteran is now counting his blessings. He feels it was a gift from his late mother, Shirley, who had just died of ovarian cancer.

"I just knew. I just felt at peace knowing that she did this -- she did this," he says.

On Saturday, just 12 days later, Davidson was having a follow-up visit with the surgeon Dr. Frank Darras at Stony Brook Medicine's transplant clinic. He said he felt great.

"I have a lot more energy," he told his doctor. "I thought I wouldn't feel this good so quick."

Dr. Darras says the wait list for transplants has gotten longer and longer over the years. Depending on a person's blood type, the average wait for certain patients is five to seven years.

Davidson is now looking forward to living life -- and spread the word about organ donation.

"I can't hold this back.  This is life and people are filled with despair," he says. "And you've got to believe in something in life or you'll fall for everything."