A Georgia nurse saved a 27-year-old autistic man's life by adopting him so he could get on the heart transplant list.

When Lori Wood, 57, was assigned to Jonathan Pinkard's case last December at Piedmont Newnan Hospital in Georgia, his days were numbered.

Getting a heart transplant was his only chance at survival, but he was not eligible for one given strict transplant requirements which insist that recipients have someone to care for them after surgery.

'Jonathan was very sick, but he wasn't eligible for a transplant because he didn't have a support system,' Wood told TODAY Health.

When they met, Pinkard had been in and out of the hospital for several months. When he wasn't in the hospital, he was living in a men's shelter.

After having known Pinkard for just two days, Wood made the incredible decision to become his legal guardian, giving him the support he would need to qualify for the transplant list.

'I had to help him. It was a no-brainer,' Wood said. 'He would have died without the transplant.'

Lori Wood, a 57-year-old Georgia nurse, adopted Jonathan Pinkard, a 27-year-old with autism, in December 2018 so he could get on the transplant list for a heart he needed to save his life

Wood gave Pinkard the support system required for him to be eligible for the transplant list. The pair are pictured after Pinkard got his new heart in August

Due to the large number of people on waiting lists for donated organs, government and non-profit agencies that facilitate transplants have a thorough process for vetting possible recipients.

During that process, patients are evaluated to make sure that they will be taken care of after the transplant to reduce the risk of a valuable donor organ being wasted.

'They're going to look at things like: "Do you show up for appointments and follow doctors orders?"' Anne Paschke, spokesperson for the American non-profit United Network for Organ Sharing, told TODAY.

'If you get a transplant and don't take your immunosuppressive drugs, you're going to lose it.'

Wood offered to become Pinkard's legal guardian after knowing him for only two days. 'I had to help him. It was a no-brainer,' she told TODAY. 'He would have died without the transplant'

'She treats me like one of her sons,' Pinkard said of Wood. 'I am truly thank for that'

Wood said she 'didn't know a thing' about Pinkard when she invited him to move into her home, but the pair quickly bonded over football and Family Feud

Wood monitors Pinkard's medications, making sure he takes all 34 pills he needs to each day, and takes him to all his doctor's appointments

Wood said she 'didn't know a thing' about Pinkard when she asked him to be his legal guardian and invited him to move into her home.

However, the pair quickly bonded over football and Family Feud. Today, Pinkard calls Wood 'Mama' and her home has become his.

'Jonathan has his chair, and I have my chair,' Wood said. 'We like game shows and high five back and forth if we get an answer right. He is very loving.'

'She treats me like one of her sons,' Pinkard said of the single mom. 'I am truly thankful for that.'

Wood monitors Pinkard's medications, making sure he takes all 34 pills he needs to each day, and takes him to all his doctor's appointments.

She's also helping teach him life skills so he can live independently in the future, and is working to improve his credit score.

Pinkard had a successful heart transplant in August and now hopes to return to work as an office clerk in December.

Watching him get back on his feet is bittersweet for Wood, who said she will miss coming home to Pinkard every day.

'It's been a joy having Jonathan here with us,' Wood said. 'I knew this is what I was supposed to do.'