Delayne Ivanowski, a 25-year-old nurse from Kirkwood, Missouri, had been keeping a secret plan to donate a kidney to her father, John Ivanowski, for the last few months. John had been diagnosed with a form of kidney disease known as IgA nephropathy two years ago. Despite the prognosis, John had repeatedly told Delayne that he did not want her to donate a kidney to him. Tests revealed that John was in kidney failure and Delayne knew he needed a transplant, as reported by Good Morning America.
Despite her father’s constant resistance, Delayne moved forward with her secret plan to donate a kidney to her father. She kept her plans a secret as she went through the necessary procedures ahead of becoming a donor. John was on dialysis at the time and would receive treatment three times a week for at least three hours at a time. He was worried about the possible physical repercussions his daughter could face after donating one of her kidneys, especially after losing his only other child to cancer more than 15 years ago.
Initially, the surgery was scheduled for October 30, 2022, but was postponed after John fell out of a tree while hanging a deer stand and was injured. Later, the transplant surgery was rescheduled for February 16 and this time, it went according to plan. Workers at Washington University & Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center did everything they could to keep Delayne’s donation a secret as she and her father underwent surgeries. The next day, Delayne surprised her father with the big news by walking into his recovery room while still in her gown and attached to an IV.
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