He Saved Her 27 Years Ago, Now She’s Saving Him
When we imagine a hero, we might picture someone in a red cape with a giant “S” stitched on the front of their uniform.
Or, perhaps we’ve grown up a little and have come to realize that we encounter heroes every day. We only need to know where to look to find a worthy example.
When 64-year-old pastor Billy Houze adopted his daughter DeLauren McKnight in 1992, he had no idea just how deeply she would impact his life.
McKnight refers to Houze and his wife Karen simply as “mom” and “dad” — her heroes.
“I call him my Superman,” the 27-year-old told Good Morning America. “Without him and my mom, I wouldn’t have known where I’d be. There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t give him so he can enjoy life and be right there beside me.”
But something was threatening that hope: Billy was suffering from kidney failure.
According to GMA, Houze’s kidneys have been failing since 2016 following his gall bladder surgery. The prognosis didn’t look good and the father of 5 was only given as many years to live if he didn’t find a kidney donor.
Sadly, it turned out his sons were not matches and the transplant wait list was 7 years long.
But a call came on February 1, 2019, that would change the course of Houze’s future — McKnight was on the other end of the line.
When he learned a match had been found and that he would receive the kidney donation he desperately needed, he broke down into tears. Who would have guessed that his biological children couldn’t help him, but his adopted child could?
“I never thought I would be a match because I was adopted. I got the call at work and I wanted him to be the first person that knew,” McKnight shared with GMA.
When she gave her dad the news, at first he misheard and thought McKnight was telling him she was “mad.” McKnight explained again she was a “match” and that’s when the tears began to flow from each of them.
“She told me, ‘Daddy, you thought you were saving my life pulling me from foster care but in actuality, you were saving my life so I could save yours later,'” Houze told GMA. “I am extremely proud of her.”
McKnight shared with Inside Edition that her dad’s tears “filled [her] heart.”
“My dad has always provided for me,” she said. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for my dad to see him live the life he is destined for. This is nothing for me. Never thought I would be a match. I am so grateful that I am able to save his life.”
“My dad saved me 27 years ago when I was 8 months old. He saved my life so I could later save his,” McKnight added in her interview with Inside Edition.
Liftable, a section of The Western Journal, has reached out to DeLauren McKnight for comment but has not yet received a response. We will update this article if and when we do.
What an amazing act of selfless love from both father and daughter. Clearly these two were always meant to find one another. They are both heroes.
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