A Daughter's Gift of Life: How Delayne Ivanowski Saved Her Father with a Kidney Transplant

John Ivanowski had been diagnosed with an Immunoglobulin A Deficiency (IgA) that had caused his immune system to attack his kidneys. For over a year, he had been living on dialysis, hooked up to a machine for hours every few days. It was not a life anyone would wish for themselves, let alone for a loved one. Delayne Ivanowski, John's daughter, could not bear to see her father suffer in this way. She had an idea, one that would take eight months of planning and careful coordination.

Delayne decided to donate one of her kidneys to her father. It was not an easy decision, and it was one that John initially resisted. He felt that Delayne was too young and had too much of her life ahead of her to make such a sacrifice. But Delayne was determined, and she went ahead with the tests and procedures required to make the donation. John had no idea that any of this was going on, and it was not until the day of the surgery that he learned what his daughter had done.

The surgery was a success, and John was finally free from the dialysis machine that had been his constant companion for so long. The emotional moment when Delayne revealed what she had done to her father was captured on camera and quickly went viral. The story of a daughter giving her father the gift of life touched the hearts of millions, and people began to reach out to offer their support.

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“I can’t stop crying, I mean I was upset but I’m so grateful." - John Ivanowski

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Delayne used social media to spread the word about her family's medical expenses and was overwhelmed by the response. People from all over the world donated money to help the Ivanowski family with the costs of John's medical care. It was a testament to the power of social media and the goodwill of people everywhere.

If you would like to donate to their GoFundMe, you can do so here.

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This is a video of their story from KMOV St. Louis:

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Related Articles

‍What Do Your Kidneys Do?

What is Dialysis?

How Organ Donation and Transplantation Works

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‘I can’t stop crying:’ Kirkwood daughter secretly becomes her father’s kidney donor

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‍About the Author

Rich Foreman brings over 30 years of technology leadership to his role of CEO and Co-Founder of KidneySoft.  As founding CTO, Rich led the team that developed the CordicoShield / CordicoFire Wellness App. Cordico was honored with the Sacramento Innovation Award in 2021. After achieving a 7 digit ARR, Cordico was acquired by Lexipol in 2020. Rich has a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington, an MPA from Troy State University and was an officer in the U.S. Navy. Rich co-authored his book, "Tap into the Mobile Economy." Rich's blog was listed in Top 20 Marketing Mobile Blogs of 2014. He has been featured on KCRA3, NEWS10, 1170 Tech AM PowerDrive, Business Radio Money 105.5, SiliconIndia, the Sacramento Business Journal, and the Sacramento Bee. Rich is also the Founding Director of the Sacramento Chapter of Startup Grind and served a term as Utility Commissioner for the City of Folsom. Rich is a regular contributor to TechWire.net and StartupSac. Rich was the Co-founder of Apptology which was named Small Business of the Year in 2014 by the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber. He was also the Founding Chief Technology Officer at Cordico. Cordico was acquired by Lexipol in 2020.  Rich also served 4 years as a Naval Officer in the Civil Engineer Corps.

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Patient Education Disclaimer

This material is for informational purposes only. It does not replace the advice or counsel of a doctor or health care professional. KidneyLuv makes every effort to provide information that is accurate and timely, but makes no guarantee in this regard. You should consult with, and rely only on the advice of, your physician or health care professional.