A Missouri man was taken aback when he discovered that the kidney donation that saved his life had come from his own daughter.
This wonderful tale was first shared by KMOV in St. Louis, but it has also been shared by Good Morning America and others. It was a problem for John Ivanowski of Kirkwood, Missouri. He found out that his kidney donation request had been granted. He had no idea the donor was his own daughter Delayne.
Delayne Ivanowski documented the moment she told her father she was the donor on TikTok shortly after he awoke from surgery.
@delayne_i watch my dad find out that I was his anonymous kidney donor after keeping it a secret for 8 months 🥹 grab a tissue! #fyp#kidneydonor
It’s heartbreaking to learn why John didn’t want Delayne to be his donor. He had lost his son to cancer 16 years before and was frightened that something similar might happen to Delayne. According to the article, she spent 9 months discreetly going through the permission process before the surgery was accomplished.
According to the story, the entire Kirkwood community, as well as those who follow Delayne on social media, are banding together to gather donations to help the family pay for both procedures.
There is no better gift you can give someone than risking your own life. This Kirkwood, Missouri family exemplifies how unique that may be.