Dad Bursts Into Tears After Realising The Person Who Donated Him Kidney Was His Daughter

When a father learned who gave him a kidney, he was overcome with emotion.

The search for a given organ can be time-consuming and challenging.

After receiving a kidney disease diagnosis of IgA nephropathy, John Ivanowski was aware of his declining health.

He had to undergo dialysis four days a week for four to five hours.

Delayne, his daughter, was heartbroken to witness her father's declining quality of life as a result of the illness.

The 25-year-old said she couldn't stand by and do nothing while he waited for someone to donate their organ, despite the fact that he had informed her that he didn't want her to donate her kidney to help him.

She told ABC News: "He likes to walk my dog and run with my dog and he wants to do all this stuff, but now he's hooked up to a machine.”

"I don't think that's any way that anybody should have to live."

John was worried that his daughter, who only had one kidney, might experience negative health problems in the future.

He had already lost his son to neuroblastoma when the boy was 16 and didn't want to place Delayne in any awkward situations.

However, the Mercy Hospital nurse in St. Louis made the decision to donate one of her kidneys.

She added: "I was like, 'I'm going to do it. I don't care how mad he is at me. I don't care if he kicks me out of the house or hates me or doesn't say a word to me for the rest of my life."

"At least he'll be living a good life and not hooked up to a machine."

It required a lot of work to keep the details of Delayne's selfless deed a secret.

As the plan developed, she was required to participate in multiple calls with medical experts as well as blood work and tests.

When John was wheeled in for the procedure, he claimed he had no clue Delayne was involved in the donation.

He told ABC News: "They called me at work and said, 'We've got an anonymous donor,' and I about dropped the phone and thought are you kidding me?”

"People can be on the [kidney waiting] list for five, six, seven, eight years and go through dialysis for that long, and I just couldn't believe it."

To maintain the donation's "anonymity," the hospital made sure John and Delayne stayed apart for as long as possible.

After he had the operation, she revealed the major information.

John sat in his hospital robe and watched Delayne enter the room while carrying an IV drip.

He suddenly realized that his young daughter had given him the greatest present imaginable.

"I knew right away," he said. "I was upset. I was just in shock. I looked at my wife and was like, 'Are you kidding me?'"

He claims that despite his initial anger, he wouldn't alter a thing.

The 25-year-old will, thankfully, "have no higher risk for the rest of their life of renal failure or any other medical issues," according to John and Delayne's doctor.