A grieving mother broke into tears after getting the chance to feel her dead son’s heartbeat years after he passed away.
John Carter was just 33 years old when he succumbed to his battle with a brain tumor, leaving his entire family heartbroken.
After his premature death, John’s mother, 71-year-old Freda, decided to donate her son’s organs after her nurse daughter suggested doing so could save another person’s life.
As the family was later informed, John’s heart was given to a 14-year-old boy named Scott whom they saw by chance five years later when he read out a tribute during an event.
“I turned to my husband and said: ‘He has got our John’s heart.’ Something inside me, I am not sure what, just knew it was him,” Freda recalled.
“Scott was reading a tribute and when I sat down and turned the page on the order of service and saw his name there a strange feeling came over me.
“I knew he was the recipient of John’s heart. It was irrational as Scott is a common name. His heart could have gone anywhere in the UK. But I was completely hysterical. I couldn’t breathe and started making a massive scene. It must have been maternal instinct. I was crying and everyone started to stare.
“I have always said since John passed away that my dying wish was to meet the boy who got his heart and to feel our John’s beat again. It was a complete miracle that he was standing in front of us.”
Following the event, Scott happily agreed to meet with the heartbroken parents of John and went on to give them a big hug and let them feel their son’s heartbeat.
“I was gob smacked, Scott came up to me and opened his arms and gave me a huge hug. He said he would be eternally grateful for what we have done for him,” Freda added.
“I asked him if I could feel John’s heart beat and he let me. It was all I wanted.”
After meeting with the parents of the young man who saved his life, Scott said he was “unbelievably thankful” to his ‘heart family’ for saving his life.
“The day we met was unbelievable, it was some sort of miracle. I felt like I was in a film,” he said.
“When I was growing up, I had barely any life. I was miserable and when my heart problems got worse I just wanted to die.
“I am unbelievably thankful to John and his family for everything that they have done for me. The difference in my health is amazing. My heartbeat is so strong it keeps me awake at night – I’m a completely different person.”
Years after his life-saving surgery, Scott has become a part of John’s family and even admitted calling Freda his heart mom.
“Freda is wonderful. I call her my ‘heart mum’. Without her, I wouldn’t be here today. It’s like we’ve always known each other. We laugh a lot, tell each other ‘I love you’, hang out and text constantly,” he told Mirror.
Meanwhile, Freda said she feels comforted knowing that her son lives on in a wonderful young man such as Scott.
“I’ve lost a son but gained Scott and that is a hell of a gift. He is so thankful, loving and appreciative; John was too young to die but I get comfort from the fact he’s living on in Scott,” she said.
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