- A woman has gone viral on TikTok with the story of how she donated her kidney to her father.
- The TikToker said that her father did not know she was his donor until his surgery was over.
A woman who anonymously donated her kidney to her father dealing with organ failure has received an influx of monetary support from viewers who watched her emotional story on TikTok.
"Watch my dad find out that I was his anonymous kidney donor after keeping it a secret for 8 months," read a caption under Delayne Ivanowski's video, posted on February 18.
The TikToker, who is based in Kirkwood, Missouri, could be seen wearing a hospital gown and holding an IV stand as she entered her father's hospital room on the day of his kidney transplant surgery to reveal that she had just donated her own kidney to him.
Her father appears to break out into tears upon seeing his daughter, who comforts him as he sobs for another minute or so in the clip.
"How are you feeling?" he later asks her. "It hurts, but, it happens," she replied.
@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 ♬ original sound - Delayne
In an interview with local CBS-affiliate KMOV4, Ivanowski said she began planning the donation over a year ago when her father was diagnosed with an Immunoglobulin A deficiency that caused an overactive immune system that then attacked his kidneys.
Ivanowski subsequently created a GoFundMe where she shared more details of her father's journey, saying he was getting progressively more ill as he awaited a kidney, having to attend dialysis sessions three times a week, so she decided to get tested to see if she was a match, which she was.
Her father, John, initially said he didn't want her to sacrifice her kidney for him, so she got in touch with his clinical coordinator to make arrangements for the transplant without him knowing, Ivanowski told KMOV4.
"I didn't find out until the day of surgery after we were post-op. She opened the door and came through and I was just like oh my lord," John said in an interview with the outlet.
The video blew up, receiving 4.5 million views and garnering an emotional response from commenters who praised the TikToker for her act of kindness.
"Beautiful. You said 'I love you' by doing this louder than words ever could," wrote one user.
In an on-screen caption on her video, Ivanowski asked viewers if they could donate towards the cost of the transplant through the mobile payment app Venmo, saying that if 6,000 people donated $1 each, the amount would be covered. Many commenters responded to say they were happy to donate her the money. Others asked if she could set up an alternative method of donating because they did not have a Venmo account.
@delayne_i 2/19: UPDATE: we both finally get to go home! dad is doing wonderful and i’m trying to catch up to him with my well-being. This has been a long, painful journey but going home is going to help us heal better. This experience has been incredible and I would do it over again if it meant saving my dads life #fyp #kidneydonor ♬ Mi favorite song - ♡̶ jo - ༄
On February 24, Ivanowski created the GoFundMe page, which she said would help cover out-of-pocket costs as well as medical bills that were not covered by the family's insurance. So far, the campaign has raised $11,190 from 509 donors.
"As their daughter, I know how much they have sacrificed for me in my 25 years of living and it is in my heart to want to do everything in my power to help them through this stressful time," she wrote in the fundraiser's description.
Ivanowski told KMOV4 what it was like to see the overwhelming support for her father coming through TikTok: "I thought, why not reach out to social media, and I got a way bigger response than I ever was expecting to."
"If you are going to give a kidney, it is one of the greatest gifts you can ever give in the world. It's literally like donating life," she told the outlet.
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