WESTWOOD, Calif. (KTLA) — In the truest spirit of holiday giving, a daughter has given her father the most precious gift of all — a new kidney and a new chance at life.
Luis Ramirez and his wife moved to the United States from Mexico so their children could have a better future.
Ramirez never learned to read or write English, but he managed to launch a successful landscaping business and raise six children.
One of those children, Graciela, has now given her father the ultimate gift, donating a kidney to keep him alive.
“If they would have said we don’t need your kidney, we need your heart, your life. I wouldn’t even think about it twice,” Graciela said. “I would give him my life in heartbeat.”
Dr. Jeffrey Veale performed the organ transplant, and said he was very moved by the family’s story.
“Mr. Ramirez lived the American dream. He came here from difficult circumstances and built a beautiful life here in the United States,” Veale said.
“Then he happened to go on dialysis, and his daughter couldn’t wait to donate a kidney to him,” he added.
“I’m very thankful to this daughter of mine. I don’t deserve her,” Luis Ramirez said, translated by his daughter from Spanish. “I thank God, and you, my daughter, for saving my life.”
But Graciela says that she is the lucky one to have a father who has worked tirelessly to provide for her and her family.
She says that the experience with her father’s transplant has taught her to be grateful for each and every day.