Father desperately needed a kidney and his daughter was ready to defy his one request to save him

Fathers and daughters often have a special bond. For one family in Missouri, that connection got a whole new meaning when a daughter volunteered to donate an organ to her father. Delayne Ivanowski, a nurse at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, decided to donate her kidney to her dad John Ivanowski despite his reluctance, per ABC News.

John was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, a rare disease that causes kidney damage when your immune system produces antibodies in your kidneys. According to the American Kidney Fund, there is no cure for IgA nephropathy, but treatments can slow the damage to your kidneys. This saw him rely on a dialysis machine every couple of days for about five hours each time, something his daughter didn't find right for him. "I don't think that's any way that anybody should have to live," she said. 

Delayne tried to convince her father to let her donate a kidney to him. However, he opposed the idea out of his concern for her. He was also troubled because nearly 16 years ago, he lost his son to neuroblastoma, a type of cancer. "I thought, I lost my boy and if anything happened to Delayne, I don't know what I would do," he said. Despite her father's concerns, she went ahead and hatched a secret plan to donate him a kidney. She knew if she didn't do it, they would have to wait for years to find a suitable donor. 

So, she kept her plans under wraps as she slowly fulfilled all the necessary formalities to become a donor. John, who was oblivious to his daughter's plan, received a call that the transplant team had found him an anonymous donor. The surgery was scheduled for February 16, 2023. On the day of the transplant, the team at Washington University & Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center took precautionary measures to ensure that John did not see his daughter. After the operation was successful, the father and daughter recovered in separate rooms. It was a day after the surgery that John discovered his daughter's wholesome act.

Delayne surprised her father when she came walking through his hospital room door the next day of the transplant. The heartwarming footage was uploaded to TikTok by Delayne (@delayne_i) which showed her father in complete shock. In the opening frames of the clip, John witnessed his daughter walk inside the recovery room and get a full reveal of the identity of his kidney donor. He began to choke up and said, "Oh my God, are you kidding me? I knew you were up to something."

The TikTok clip has received over 5 million views with loads of users dropping in their best wishes for the father-daughter duo. @taylormangus317, wished them a speedy recovery, she wrote, "How amazing of you. My prayers are with you and your family for a fast recovery." Another user, @tdj7599, commented, "That is such an amazing thing you did for your dad. Sending you both lots of healing vibes and prayers." 

Delayne hopes her family's story will help raise awareness about the need for organ donation. The 25-year-old said, "If anything, I've saved one life and hopefully I can, with awareness and other things, save other lives by encouraging people to become donors or to take that next step and go get the testing done to become a match." She added, "It hurts, but all the pain is worth it in the end, I think."