“As a mother, you listen to your child’s heartbeat when you carry them, and I don’t think you ever ask to hear it again,” Amber Morgan said.
The worst loss a parent can ever endure is the death of a child. The loss not only destroys the parents but also creates a void that can never be filled. But, sometimes destiny works in mysterious ways where you can truly feel the presence of a loved one even if they are not physically present. Amber Morgan lost her daughter Andreona Williams, 20 to asthma issues. Williams decided to donate her organs. The devastated mother was able to hear her daughter's heart beating in 68-year-old Tom Johnson's chest almost four years after her death, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“It’s almost like I got to hug my daughter again,” the South Bend, Indiana woman said. Morgan felt the presence of her daughter, who passed away in 2018, in Tom's chest. The family used the occasion to honor both Andreona's life and Tom's new life following his protracted battle with heart issues. The Indiana Donor Network organized the unusual gathering at a hotel in Chicago. Johnson had a stethoscope put to his chest, and Morgan was listening through it. “As a mother, you listen to your child’s heartbeat when you carry them, and I don’t think you ever ask to hear it again,” Morgan said. “It’s amazing.”
Amber Morgan never thought she'd get to hear her daughter's heart again. This weekend, she heard it beating inside Tom Johnson's chest. "I wanted to thank her for this gift," the grandfather said. https://t.co/ZkkjAIJBcx pic.twitter.com/0gMVSNnjMV
— Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) November 22, 2022
Johnson, of Kankakee, Illinois, claimed to have written to Morgan in 2019, a year after the procedure at the suburban Chicago facility of Loyola University Medical Center. He wanted to thank the family for donating the heart and show his appreciation, as per the Associated Press. “This is just a big blessing for me to meet Amber,” Tom said. “I was praying virtually every night that this would happen. I always referred to my donor, and now I have a name. It’s just unbelievable beyond words.” Prior to recently, when Morgan expressed interest in meeting, particularly in light of her own heart issues, he sent a second letter but did not receive a response. Since he was young, Johnson had struggled with a weak heart. Before recommending a transplant, doctors gave him a pacemaker and a defibrillator to try.
Four years after 20-year-old Andreona Williams' death, her mother, Amber Morgan, heard her daughter's heartbeat again. 68-year-old Tom Johnson received Williams' heart in 2018 and last week, he and Morgan met for the first time.
— IN Donor Network (@INDonorNetwork) November 22, 2022
Read the story here: https://t.co/m6zQ4975eU pic.twitter.com/PUN3KM3fZ7
“It opened up a whole new world of possibilities,” Johnson said. “It’s just unbelievable. I mean, I can work out in the garden, ride the bike. My sons can’t believe how quick I can go.” The Saturday gathering was a "new beginning" for the families, for both Morgan and Tom. Sharon expressed her gratitude for the extra time she now had with her husband as a result of the Morgans' gift and gave them assurance that her daughter's heart will always be protected. “He takes very special care of her,” she said. “He never misses his heart medication. Never.” When questioned about her late daughter, Morgan spoke of Andreona's kindness, reminiscing about how she was involved in the neighborhood and organized food drives and other activities in low-income regions.“She made me so proud throughout her whole life, and she still makes me proud.”
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Cover Image Source: Youtube | ABC 7 Chicago
