A Bridgeport veteran says the fact that he's alive to celebrate Father's Day is nothing short of a miracle.

News 12 Connecticut has been following the story of Air Force veteran Martin Goodrich, 61, for five years. Doctors say he was close to death before finally getting a kidney transplant this week at the University of Toledo Medical Center — a transplant he says was only made possible thanks to the involvement of News 12 Connecticut.

“You guys really saved my life — and thank you very much," he said.

Martin is recovering from surgery in Ohio. News 12 previously reported several failed attempts to find a compatible donor and to get the surgery.

But Martin says everything changed last year when News 12 Connecticut put him directly in touch with double-organ transplant recipient Jen Benson — whose New Canaan-based nonprofit Transplant Journey Inc. helps people get the gift of life often by traveling outside the Northeast.

He says the surgery went well and he is feeling great. He is finally off of dialysis thanks to his new kidney.

“It's like a diamond, you know, that I'm going to protect for the rest of my life," said Martin.