A mother who lost her young son three years ago got the chance to hear his heartbeat again after meeting the 4-year-old girl who was the recipient of his donated heart, according to USA Today.
Heather Clark's son Lukas was just 7 months old when he died after being allegedly abused by a babysitter back in 2013, according to USA Today. After doctors were unable to save Lukas, Clark chose to donate her son's organs to three people in need - one of which was Jordan Drake, then just 18 months old, according to Global News.
Now Clark has been given the opportunity to see the difference her young son made in the world by meeting Drake, who was born with a congenital heart defect and spent much of her early life in Phoenix Children's Hospital, according to WGNTV. Clark contacted Drake's mother through Facebook in December and met the family on Friday, according to USA Today.
"Knowing that [Jordan is] so smart, and so respectful... it just makes it so much easier," Clark said, according to Global News, "Because she's just exactly what I could picture Lukas being right now."
Drake's mother Esther Gonzales told Clark "that's your son" as they listened to Drake's heartbeat through stethoscopes, according to USA Today. The moment was immortalized in the Build-a-Bear stuffed toy that Drake gave to Clark as a gift, which contains a recording of the heartbeat, according to USA Today.
Their meeting was recorded and documented by Donate Life Arizona, a nonprofit organization that campaigns to register as many willing participants as possible to become organ donors. Clark called the event "the best Christmas present I could have asked for" on a Facebook page set up in memory of her son.
