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WASHINGTON - An emotional Facebook video by FOX 5 DC employee has gone viral and touched the hearts of thousands.
Indira LeVine immediately took to social media after hearing the miraculous news-- she could donate a kidney to save her father's life!
Warning you may end up crying!
Share #IndirasJourney and help spread the word about organ donation.
Here is more about Indira's journey:
In 2014 Indira Levine, FOX 5 DC photographer, received a life altering phone call from her father. Leroy LeVine told her that one of his kidney's had to be removed due to a lump that had formed. Additionally, the other kidney did not appear to be in good shape.
Her first thought, like any child's, what can I do to help? And so began the beautiful and challenging journey to save her father's life.
While, Mr. LeVine was placed on a kidney transplant waitlist, Indira exhausted all options to save him. She was not a match for her father, but she was for someone else.
She told FOX 5 DC, that the one way she could save him was to donate a kidney to someone she matched, and in turn her father would receive a matching transplant.
As you may imagine, to become a kidney donor there are various tests and criteria that must be met. In Indira's case, this included losing over 100 pounds, and wearing a blood pressure monitor -- for 24 hours -- for three times spread throughout a month.
Come January 2016, after losing over 100 pounds and enduring multiple tests, Indira received the exciting news that her kidney was cleared to donate.
After coming a long way in her fitness journey, Indira told FOX 5 DC, that she was asked to lose an additional 20 pounds in order to proceed with the donation process.
In 2008, her mother passed away from liver disease. Indira say's, " On her death bed, she told me I needed to lose weight. I was weighing 336 pounds at that point."
One of her biggest supporters in her weight loss journey to be an eligible kidney donor has been her trainer and friend, Leslie Garner.
"He put me on the strictest diet I have even been on. The workouts were extremely intense. I was lifting and trying to shed weight, but trying not to build too much muscle at the same time-- since muscle weighs a lot too," said Indira.
After all the weight was lost, and all tests were cleared the last but MOST challenging test of all came to play-- the test of faith.
Doctors found a genetic disorder in Mr. LeVine's remaining kidney-- which is inherited. This tragically meant if the gene was found in Indira then she would no longer be an eligible donor.
At the beginning of August 2016, Indira moved forward with the test that would either end or continue the 2-year journey. The results were expected to come in eight weeks, but took half the time.
While at work, Indira received the miraculous email that indicated she did not have the genetic disorder and was cleared to donate.
However, the good news did not hit immediately. Maybe she was shocked? She called her friend Leslie to tell him about the news.
"It hit me when I saw my dad, much older in age, playing sports with my little brothers."
Then instantly the tears began to flow and the exhilarating joy swept her like a tidal wave. Indira had been recording her entire journey and Leslie urged her to do a Facebook Live to help inspire others.
She ended the video with a powerful message.
“You got one life. All I can is MY testimony is you have to take care of it. You have to help people. You have to live for the day.” Indira say’s, ” If you can help someone else, if you can share something with someone else that needs it, God please do it.”
Her video was filled with so much emotion, we could not deny sharing it with the world. We hope her family's faith inspires you to overcome any hardships you may be facing.
If you are interested in becoming a kidney donor click here for more information.