A mom in Kentucky is getting a little slice of healing after a horrible loss. Denise Bargo's daughter, Lena Skye Bargo, died in January, shortly before her second birthday. This month, Bargo got to meet the little boy who received Lena's heart after the family donated the girl's organs.
More from Mom.com: Dad Hears Late Son's Heart Beat Again in Organ Donor Recipient
The Bargo family suffered a tragic loss
A bittersweet meeting occured
In September, Bargo, along with her husband, Johnny, got to go to Tennessee and meet Mark and his mother, Patience Clouse, at their home.
"I got to hold him and I got to listen to baby Lena’s little heart," Bargo told USA Today. She shared that her niece was following Mark's story and saw in a Facebook post from Patience Clouse that the boy had received his heart from a little girl in Kentucky.
"We put two and two together and we reached out to Patience," Bargo explained. "She agreed to talk to us and that's how we found out."
The two families have formed a relationship
Since the initial meeting, the Bargos have seen Mark and his family two more times. His mother calls them his godparents.
"We’re all one big family now," Denise said.
Something truly unexpected happened during Lena's death
While in the hospital with her baby girl, Bargo started having chest pains and was admitted to the hospital's ER.
"They sent me to the ER and that's when we found out that I have chronic myeloid leukemia," Bargo explained. "It's in remission, but I still get tired and I still worry about it."
She credits her daughter, who was honored with her name on an organ donor wall at the University of Kentucky's hospital, with saving her life.
"It was a beautiful ceremony, knowing that Lena was going to live on," she shared. "She was going to still be living through baby Mark. She saved three lives – four counting mine – but it was so sad and so hard to let my baby go."
