In an attempt to save his dying grandfather's life, U.S. Army Specialist Ricky Glenn Henderson arranged with his commanding officer to be flown back to his Texas home from Afghanistan so he could possibly donate most of his liver.

Henderson's grandfather Ricky Homer, 62, was diagnosed with the genetic disorder, hemochromatosis, which causes scarring on the liver, according to ABC News. Homer's body absorbs too much iron, which gets stored in his liver.

Henderson arrived in Dallas last week and has been receiving tests at Baylor University Medical Center since Wednesday to see if he is a match for his grandfather who was in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years and in the Army for 16.

The 21-year-old told ABC that he didn't want to have any regrets by not coming home. He wanted to be able to try everything he could for his grandfather.

"I don't want to look back and say, 'Hey, I could have done something," Henderson said.

When Henderson told his military veteran granddad that he was coming home, Home was surprised at the idea of leaving his post.

"He's like, 'Why? You're young,'" Henderson said. "I had to sit there and explain, 'You're my granddad. I want to do this. You still have stuff that you need to be around for.'"

However, Dr. Giulino Testa, who runs Baylor's living liver transplant program, said there was an abnormality found in Henderson's platelet count. Testa said he needs to be absolutely sure the donation would be safe before approving the transplant procedure,

Testa added that the liver should return to its normal size within a few days and function normally within a few months if the transplant occurs.

Homer, who called his grandson a hero, told KLTV, ABC News' Longview, Texas affiliate, this is what a hero does.

"He's my hero!" he said. "People don't understand what a hero is until something like this happens."