The gift of life that was given ten years ago is being paid back by a grateful mother to a now-ailing father.

In 2005, Bill Millard and his wife decided to donate their son's organs when he died in an accident.

That donation saved the life of fellow San Francisco, California resident Janice McKinnon's son.

Ten years later, she is returning the favor, donating her own kidney to Mr. Millard who is now in need of a kidney transplant.

"It's hard for me to wrap my head around it, because 10 years ago we donated my son's organs and that is actually saving my life now," Millard said.

The two families became close after the organ donation in 2005, but the odds of a non-relative being a perfect match for a kidney transplant are extremely high - about 1 in 100,000.

Both families are taking the fact that they beat those odds as a sign that the match, and their friendship, was meant to be.

(WATCH the KPIX News video)

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