An emotional father has burst into tears after his daughter walked into his hospital ward on an IV drip to reveal that she was the mystery donor who provided him with a life-saving kidney.

John Ivanowski was having to spend up to six hours a day, several times a week, attached to a dialysis machine.

The man from Kirkwood, in the US state of Missouri, had been diagnosed with an Immunoglobulin A deficiency and this was attacking his kidneys.

His daughter Delayne Ivanowski said that there was no quality of life and nobody should have to live like that, and she had wanted to donate him one of hers.

However, the dad had told her that she was "too young", had a long time to live her life and that his time was more limited, and so he refused.

Secretly, however, she contacted his medical team and arranged to be tested. When she found she was a match, he was notified that a donor had been found without revealing the anonymous source of the kidney, and the operation was arranged.

It took eight months and ended when his daughter turned up in his room after the surgery on February 16 in her own hospital gown and attached to an IV drip when he then realised what had happened.

When the penny dropped, he burst into tears and the emotional moment was captured on camera and later shared on TikTok when the daughter asked for a dollar donation from viewers to help with her father's medical costs.

Delayne said her dad had already gone through a lot and dialysis was not cheap.

"I thought, why not reach out to social media, and I got a way bigger response than I ever was expecting," she told KMOV News 4.

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Her father added that it was amazing not having to be on dialysis anymore and added to give a kidney was one of the greatest gifts, and was like donating a life.

"I'm so grateful, it's hard to describe," he said.

- CEN/Australscope

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