Dad brought to tears after learning his 25-year-old daughter secretly donated her kidney to him

Delayne Ivanowski couldn't bear to see her father John in pain. The 60-year-old was battling kidney issues for a few years now and was diagnosed with a form of kidney disease known as IgA nephropathy which could lead to end-stage renal disease where kidneys no longer function.

Delayne learned that her father "was most definitely going to need a kidney transplant," according to a GoFundMe description. Calling her dad "stubborn" as he kept insisting he was not that unwell and definitely did not want her to donate a kidney to him she knew she would help him no matter what. Good Morning America reported she kept her plan a secret for nine months until February 16, the day of the surgery. "I was like, 'I'm going to do it. I don't care how mad he is at me,' " Delayne told ABC News. "At least he'll be living a good life and not hooked up to a machine," she added.

The Missouri dad was concerned not about himself but more so about his daughter and what repercussions she could face after the donation. He was fearful after losing his only other child to cancer more than 15 years ago. "I thought, I lost my boy and if anything happened to Delayne, I don't know what I would do," he explained. "It was a big concern."

But it looks like "stubbornness" runs in the family with Delayne adamant about helping her father. "I'm not good at being told no," she said. After the surgery when he learned what his daughter had done he was initially "upset. I was just in shock." But with time he became grateful. "I wouldn't change a thing," he said. "I feel so much better."

Over $11,000 has been donated through the family's online fundraiser so far. "Since surgery, my family and I have received the best support from some family and friends, even strangers!" she wrote. "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. I want to thank my mom for being the strongest woman in the world and helping everyone through this hard time when she is also hurting. I also want to thank everyone who has donated so far to help aid my parents with the medical bills from both of our procedures that insurance doesn’t cover and out-of-pocket costs."