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Bride hears late son’s heartbeat in boy he saved before walking down aisle
An American bride met the young boy who received her late son’s heart in an emotional moment on her wedding day last month
An American bride met the young boy who received her late son’s heart in an emotional moment on her wedding day last month. Kaci Wilson met the 7-year-old transplant recipient for the first time on her big day - two years after the death of her son, according to a report in People magazine.
“It was a very, very, very sweet moment,” Wilson, 24, told People.
The accident and its aftermath
On April 18, 2023, one of Kaci Wilson’s three sons died in a road accident. Wilson was driving her Kia Carnival with her 4-year-old twins and 1-year-old baby when a truck hit the vehicle. The accident occurred in North Carolina.
One of her twins, Myles Godfrey, suffered a traumatic brain injury in the accident and died. His organs were donated and helped save the lives of several other people - including 7-year-old Saleh Ahmad, who received his heart.
Emotional wedding day
For Kaci Wilson, it was an emotional day when she first met Saleh before walking down the aisle. According to People, the boy’s parents asked her if she wanted to hear his heartbeat. They even brought a stethoscope.
“It was just so heartwarming,” Wilson says. “It definitely was the closest I felt to him since the accident.”
Wilson had never met Saleh face-to-face before. They had talked on the phone and Wilson invited the Ahmad family to her wedding in Hiawassee, Georgia.
“The little boy was crying happy tears. He was smiling, he was giving all the hugs and kisses,” Wilson says. “We were sad, but we were happy, seeing how well the little boy is doing.”
The 24-year-old newlywed hopes her story will inspire people who struggle with the thought of organ donation.
“In that moment, you’re feeling all the emotions of 'How is this happening to my family? It’s not fair. We can’t save our kid, but we’re going to save somebody else’s,' ” she says. But Wilson says she eventually realised her son would have wanted to help people.
"He was the most kind-hearted, sweet, loving, little boy. So of course he would want to save somebody else if he could.”
