Before she could legally bring her adopted son, Jordan, home, Ingeborg McIntosh had to fight for him. Jordan was placed in Jordan’s foster home when he was a baby. Ingeborg begged to adopt Jordan after falling in love with him the moment she laid eyes on him. However, convincing Jordan’s biological mother was difficult because she wanted Jordan to be adopted by African-American or biracial parents!

When no one else was available, it was clear that Jordan was Ingeborg’s. “When they put him in my arms, it was love at first sight,” Ingeborg explained. Ingeborg has fostered 125 children, but none have stolen her heart like Jordan. “He was always a part of the family.” Unfortunately, Ingeborg received heartbreaking news 28 years later. She suffered from polycystic kidney disease and required a kidney transplant.

Jordan, now an adult, is determined to do everything in his power to save his mother. He decided to donate his kidney to Ingeborg and secretly scheduled a test to see if he was a match. “I guess this was my calling in life,” Jordan explained. “Hopefully, as I get older, I’ll be able to do more for her, but for now, it’s the least I can do.”

Ingeborg begged Jordan not to go ahead with his plan, but Jordan had already decided to help his mother survive. Even when he spoke about Ingeborg, it was clear that his feelings for her were genuine. “I just wanted to give it back to her and show her how much I appreciate everything she’s done for me since I was a kid,” he said. Watch Jordan and Ingeborg’s full interview here.