Foster mother Ingeborg McIntosh describes the first time she held Jordan in her arms as “love at first sight” and fought tirelessly to adopt him. Little did she know, he would return that love with equal fervor when she needed it most. When you hear about stories in which someone “pays it forward,” the kind gesture is usually something small, such as buying a meal for a stranger. The size of the deed doesn’t necessarily dictate how meaningful it is, but in this case, paying it forward literally saved a life.

The McIntosh family had cared for 125 foster kids over the years, but no one stole their heart like Jordan.

Jordan was raised in Ingeborg’s home, but his biological mother didn’t want the family to adopt himShe preferred that her child be adopted by Black parents.

But it was impossible to find a home for Jordan, so when the boy was 4, he was adopted by Ingeborg.

“He was a part of the family, no matter what.”

Two decades later, Ingeborg received difficult news: her doctors informed her that she had polycystic kidney disease and needed a kidney transplantation. Jordan decided he couldn’t stand by and watch his mother suffer. He decided to act, without his mother even being aware of his plans.

He booked an appointment to see if he was a match for transplantation. He was.

“I feel like this was my calling in life, I guess,” Jordan says.

“Hopefully I can do more for her as I get older, but for the moment, it’s the least I could do.”

Ingeborg insisted that he not go through with his plans, but Jordan’s mind was made up.

When Jordan talks about his mother, his love and devotion are clear: He can barely talk about her kindness without crying.

“Everything she’s done for me since I was a kid, I just wanted to give it back to her, and show her how much I appreciate her,” he says

Despite all the struggles and tough times, this story ends happily. All because of the strong bond between a mother and her son.

This article was originally published on boreddaddy.com