In the wake of tragic accidents, countless parents are forced to make the most difficult decision of their lives: removing a child from life support. Many bereaved moms and dads are also tasked with deciding whether they’d like to donate their child’s organs once life-sustaining measures have ceased. While this is obviously an invaluable gift to another family, it’s a process that’s emotionally taxing for parents already in mourning.
One Dallas couple recently met two children who received their baby boy’s organs, and the instant connections formed between their families will last a lifetime.
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Jenny Burns discovered her son had drowned in June 2022.
In June 2022, Jenny Burns, 37, realized her 14-month-old son, Beau, was missing. “When I couldn’t find him — I searched for a good three minutes — I knew he was in the pool. You just start hoping and praying,” she told People. After removing Beau from their backyard pool in Dallas, Jenny’s husband, Rob, performed CPR. He was able to get a heartbeat before first responders arrived.
Beau was airlifted to Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Tragically, he never regained consciousness.
Beau’s parents made the selfless decision to donate his organs.
Four days after Beau’s drowning, doctors informed Jenny and Rob that their son would not recover. They also introduced the idea of organ donation. “While it was a very tough day for us, I knew that someone was going to get that miracle phone call, so for me, it was a no-brainer,” Rob told People of their decision to donate Beau’s organs.
“It was a leap of faith,” Jenny said. “You really had to trust that the decision you’re making is for the best, and it’s so hard at that moment. You don’t know what it will be like knowing that you’re saving lives.”
Beau’s heart went to a little boy named Eli.
In another wing of the same hospital, a 4-month-old baby boy named Eli — born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome — awaited a heart transplant. Eli’s mother, April Flores, described what it was like getting the call that a heart was available.
“The night we found out, before bed, I prayed for a heart for Eli because he has a whole life to live,” she told People. “At 3:47 a.m. I got the call from our heart transplant team … after the transplant, it was an instantly different Eli. There was so much joy I could see through his face.”
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Jenny and Rob eventually met Eli and his family.
In October 2023, Jenny and Rob met Eli, now 2, and his family in person.
“That first initial meeting, looking into Eli’s mom’s eyes and just seeing how grateful she was and then knowing that Eli’s living so well because of our decision … it was just overwhelming,” Jenny explained. “Rob and I like to say it was Beau’s gift, but now it’s Eli’s heart. The heartbeat was so strong and so fast — a little boy’s heartbeat.”
Meanwhile, April said there was an “instant connection” between her family and Beau’s parents. “It is hard to put into words what they have done giving my son a chance at life, but we are connected forever,” she shared.
Beau also donated his liver and a kidney.
In addition to Beau’s heart, his liver and a kidney were successfully donated. A 4-year-old boy named Leonel — who was born with Citrullinemia Type 1 — received the liver. A 40-year-old woman received Beau’s kidney, although she has not yet responded to Jenny and Rob reaching out to her.
The Burnses met Leonel and his mother, Ginamarie Rodriguez, in November 2023.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt like family,” says Ginamarie. “Going through everything we both went through, we’re all grieving. I’ll be forever thankful to them.”
