Parents Hear Heartbeat Of Deceased Son In Toddler He Saved Through Organ Donation
Losing a child is among the worst pains anyone can experience. No matter how it happens or what the circumstances are, there's no amount of preparation you can do to ease the agony it will cause.
Even in the midst of such a catastrophic event, there are still decisions that need to be made, decisions that can turn a tragedy into a brighter future for other families and children fighting against death every single day.
A Moment's Impact
In 2022, 37-year-old Jenny Burns faced perhaps the most devastating, nightmarish scenario any parent can when she realized she had lost track of her 14-month-old son, Beau, in their home.
She knew right away that something was wrong and immediately began looking for him. "When I couldn't find him, I searched for a good three minutes, I knew he was in the pool. You just start hoping and praying," she told People in an interview.
Fearing The Worst
Her gut feeling was correct, she did spot Beau in the home's backyard pool. She screamed for her husband, Rob, who got Beau out of the water and began performing CPR on him while Jenny called 911.
When remembering the moment, Jenny said, "I was praying a miracle would happen. God was there with me. Rob was able to get his heartbeat back by the time the ambulance came and they airlifted him to Children's Medical Center Dallas.”
Beau's Rememberence
What followed was a week of nerves, tension, and fear for the Burns family as they awaited updates about Beau's condition. "I thought for a good four days that there was hope that he would survive," Jenny said. “But on the fourth day, the doctor told us he was not coming back and we had to decide what we would like to do.”
That kind of decision is never easy, especially when dealing with the unimaginable grief of losing a child. However, the couple was presented with an idea that they had never heard of or considered before, child organ donation.
Hope For Another
By allowing Beau's organs to be given to other children in need of transplants, he could save multiple lives.
Rob told People, "My mom and my grandmother were both nurse practitioners, so I grew up in a household that was very focused on medical education and understanding the importance of decisions you make, and while it was a very tough day for us, I knew that someone was going to get that miracle phone call, so for me, it was a no-brainer."
Life, Continued
"It was a leap of faith," Jenny added. "You really had to trust that the decision you're making is for the best, and it's so hard at that moment. You don't know what it will be like knowing that you’re saving lives."
Beau's parents would get to know one of the lives they helped save very well, as his heart was given to a 2-year-old boy named Eli that very same day. Eli was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and, had he not received that transplant, was told he would succumb to the illness "any day now."
Immediate Relief
"The night we found out, before bed, I prayed for a heart for Eli because he has a whole life to live," April said. “At 3:47 a.m. I got the call from our heart transplant team… after the transplant, it was an instantly different Eli. There was so much joy I could see through his face.”
Eli took to the transplant incredibly well, able to live a healthier, longer life thanks to the Burns' family decision. In fact, a year after the transplant, Jenny and Rob reached out to April wanting to meet Eli, which April happily agreed to.
A New Heartbeat
"That first initial meeting, looking into Eli's mom’s eyes and just seeing how grateful she was and then knowing that Eli’s living so well because of our decision… it was just overwhelming," Jenny said. The two also got to listen to the sound of Beau's heart giving Eli life. "Rob and I like to say it was Beau’s gift, but now it’s Eli’s heart. The heartbeat was so strong and so fast, a little boy’s heartbeat."
The families hit it off, too. As April said, "It was just an instant connection. It is hard to put into words what they have done giving my son a chance at life, but we are connected forever."
So Others May Follow
This experience, while born from tragedy, has helped give Jenny a new "purpose in life" by becoming a child organ donation advocate.
"Without my husband, I probably would have said no. [I felt like] they were taking away properly saying goodbye to my son, but Rob saw the bigger picture, and it was the best decision I've ever made in my life," she explained.
Beau not only helped save Eli but two other recipients as well, a 40-year-old woman who received his kidney and a 4-year-old boy who received his liver (whom the Burns family also got to meet). "There are two little boys and a 40-year-old woman alive because of Beau, and I get to create relationships with them and I get to see them thrive," Jenny said. "Beau was gone and there wasn't anything I could do about it, but I could do this and help somebody else [and] help another mom with their little boy. Getting to see them grow up and see their mom’s love on them heals my heart."
