A dad who had been battling kidney failure for six years couldn’t believe his eyes when his daughter held up a sign revealing she’d been approved to be his donor.
Carlos Sanchez, from Elgin, Texas, was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure in December 2020 and a few weeks later was in hospital for emergency dialysis.
Over the years that followed, Carlos, 63, remained on dialysis, while in March 2021 also being added to the waiting list for a kidney donation.
But as the months and years then rolled on, his family said he suffered a series of setbacks.
Twice he received calls to be a backup for a deceased donor, only for those ahead of him on the transplant list to successfully go through with their operations.
A family member also passed away and offered their kidney to Carlos, but doctors said that, due to the nature of the passing, a kidney transplant could not be approved.
Having seen how serious her father’s situation was getting, Ava, 33, started undertaking a series of tests in February 2024 to determine whether she might be a match.
Then, Ava received an email to say that she’d been approved to be her father’s kidney donor.
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Knowing Father’s Day was coming up, she decided to tell her dad on June 16, traveling from her home in Austin to her parents’ house in Elgin.
As Carlos was seated, Ava, who had recently had facial surgery, making it difficult to talk, came out with a homemade banner, which she unraveled to reveal the good news.
A stunned Carlos was then presented with a cake in the shape of a kidney before he and his daughter shared an emotional moment together.
Though Carlos received the news through his daughter, he is now waiting for the transplant center to get in touch to officially notify him and plan a date for surgery.
Ava said: “I was a bit nervous because early on in his dialysis journey, he mentioned he did not want us to donate because he was scared of any complications we could have.
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“But then I got emotional because I know it’s something he wants and needs to have a more normal, healthier life.
“With the help of my siblings, I planned a surprise – I made a poster with the announcement and a cake in the shape of an organ.
“We were getting ready to eat and I decided to come out and give my dad the news.
“I recently had facial surgery, so it was a bit difficult to talk and express everything, but the poster and cake helped me send the message.
“The response to the video has been mostly positive – a bunch of sweet comments and words of encouragement.
“Also, there have been a few testimonies of successful donor and recipient stories.
“Those are very motivating for me because they give me a sense of security that me and my dad will do just fine.
“We are not big on announcements or surprises, so my dad needed time to process everything.
“I hope to inspire others who have a friend or family member on dialysis awaiting a donor to find it in their heart to consider being a donor and give someone they know or a complete stranger a longer life.
“In Mexican culture, we can be very treatment-naive regarding organ donations.
“I hope this moves someone to do research, talk to their healthcare providers and consider changing someone’s life if they are fit for it.”