For Amber Morgan, hearing her child's heartbeat is not something she takes for granted. The Indiana mom remembers hearing the heartbeat of her daughter Andreona for the first time when she was pregnant.
She heard it again when her daughter was on life support at the age of 20 as Andreona battled asthma complications, ultimately leading to her passing. Amber is fortunate, though, as she once again heard that special sound nearly five years after her daughter's death, according to the Associated Press.
She got that rare opportunity through Tom Johnson, who is living with her dead child's heart as a transplant recipient. She said that as a mother, you listen to your child's heartbeat when you carry them, and she does not think you ever ask to hear it again. She added that it was amazing.
Indiana Donor Network made the emotional meeting possible
Morgan experienced her late child, who died in 2018, in an emotional meeting with Tom at a downtown hotel in Chicago on Saturday morning. It was a moment for both families to celebrate Andreona's life and Tom's new one after his long struggles with heart issues.
The Indiana Donor Network makes these reunions possible, coordinating fewer than 30 meetings between donor families and organ transplant recipients each year. The meetings only happen when donor families consent to meet the transplant recipients.
Tom said that this was just a big blessing for him to meet Amber, and he prayed virtually every night that this would happen. He added that he always referred to his donor, and now he has a name for her, and it was just unbelievable beyond words.
The meeting between the families was also unique in its timing, with the planning taking just over a week. He said that sometimes, it takes months or even longer to get this meeting going. That was not the case here, with Tom saying he was so excited and could not miss it.
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Amber emotional when she heard her daughter's heartbeat once again
Tom and his wife of 48 years, Sharon, traveled for the big day from Kankakee, Illinois. Amber came from South Bend, Indiana, with her six-year-old granddaughter Avery Williams. Amber and Tom embraced each other tightly as they saw each other for the first time.
Amber then took a pink stethoscope and put it on Tom's chest. She then heard a sound she did not think she would ever get to hear again, with Amber hugging Tom again as she listened.
Amber told the Chicago Tribune that it was almost like she got to hug her daughter again. Tom first sent a letter to Amber back in 2019 around Christmastime. According to Tom, it took him a long time to write to Amber and her family as he had a challenging recovery. Once he got better, Tom wanted to share his gratitude to the family for their decision to donate.
