Mother surprised on wedding day by man who received late son's heart
Becky Turney's deceased son was an organ donor. Little did she know that the person who received his heart would surprise her on her wedding day.
In October 2015, Becky’s son Triston passed away suddenly and his heart was given to Jacob Kilby.
The mother from Alaska had never met Jacob. But all that changed on her big day in 2017, when her then-fiancé, Kelly Turney, arranged for Jacob to surprise her during their special day.
The incredible moment was captured by their wedding photographer, Love Adventured.
Jacob told CTVNews.ca: "Kelly wanted to surprise Becky for the wedding. He offered to send me a ticket so I could fly up for the wedding. I was super excited to do it.”
So Jacob, whose life was completely saved by Triston’s generous gift, flew from his home in San Diego, California to Palmer.
While waiting for the ceremony to start, Jacob had to keep his head down, staying out of Becky’s sight.
After Becky walked the aisle, Kelly turned to the guests to make an announcement.
He told them they have a seat saved for their son Triston and that while he couldn't be there, he was there with them in spirit.
Kelly then invited Jacob to come up and meet Becky.
Becky was overwhelmed with emotion and she couldn't hold back her tears at that time. She gave Jacob a long hug.
Using a stethoscope, Becky got to listen to Triston's heart beating inside of Jacob's chest.
“Things got super emotional,” Jacob said. “She was just so excited. It was… it was just unexplainable. She was so overcome with emotion.”
Becky later took to Facebook to share that Jacob’s presence at the wedding was “hands down the best gift” and the “most amazing surprise ever!”
She told the local news station WSB-TV: “That whole day, I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t stop crying. Now I know why. My son’s presence was there."
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