A Texas mother couldn’t hold back her tears as she listened to the heart of her 14-month-old toddler, who drowned in a backyard pool and beat in the chest of another little boy after donating her child’s organs.
Jenny Burns, 37, and her husband Rob, 39, endured the toughest of days in 2022 when they pulled their son Beau, who had fallen unconscious, from the backyard pool of their Dallas home.
When the Burns family faced the devastating reality that Beau would not survive, little did they know that April Flores, a 32-year-old single mother of a four-month-old boy, was praying fervently for her son.
The couple made the brave choice to donate Beau’s organs to three people, one of whom was four-month-old Eli, born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
A year after the successful transplant, the two families came together and shared a tearful moment as Jenny and Bob listened to Beau’s heart beating strong and fast in Eli’s chest.
Jenny Burns, 37, and her husband Rob, 39, couldn’t hold back their tears as they listened to the heart of their 14-month-old toddler Beau, who drowned in a backyard pool and smashed into another little boy’s chest after she had donated her child’s organs
Jenny and Rob endured the toughest days of 2022 as they retrieved Beau, who had fallen unconscious, from the backyard pool of their home in Dallas, Texas
When the Burns family faced the devastating reality that Beau would not survive, little did they know that April Flores (second from left), a 32-year-old single mother of a 4-month-old boy, was praying fervently for her son.
Beau’s heartbeat (pictured) was restored by PCR, but the 14-month-old baby could not survive and died four days later
Jenny told me PEOPLE: ‘That first initial meeting, looking Eli’s mother in the eyes and seeing how grateful she was and then knowing that Eli is living so well because of our decision… it was just overwhelming.’
“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: the heartbeat of a little boy.”
Jenny recalled the moment she frantically screamed at her husband when she realized Beau was missing.
‘When I couldn’t find him – I looked for more than three minutes – I knew he was in the pool. You just start hoping and praying,’
“I prayed for a miracle to happen. God was with me,” Jenny said.
Although Beau’s heartbeat was restored by PCR, the 14-month-old baby could not survive and died after four days.
‘I thought for more than four days that there was hope that he would survive. But on the fourth day the doctor told us he wasn’t coming back and we had to decide what we wanted to do,” Jenny said.
Rob said the decision to donate his son’s organs was a no-brainer, even as the family endured their worst nightmare after losing Beau.
“My mother and grandmother were both nurse practitioners, so I grew up in a household that was very focused on medical education and understanding the importance of the decisions you make,” he said.
“And even though it was a really tough day for us, I knew someone would get that miracle phone call, so it was for me.”
Jenny added: “It was a leap of faith. You really had to trust that the decision you’re making is the best one, and that’s so hard at the time. You don’t know what it’s going to be like when you know you’re saving lives.”
A year after the successful transplant, the two families came together and shared a tearful moment as Jenny and Bob listened to Beau’s heart beating strong and fast in Eli’s chest.
Jenny added: “It was a leap of faith. You really had to trust that the decision you’re making is the best one, and that’s so hard at the time. You don’t know what it will be like when you know you’re saving lives.”
When Flores was contacted by the Burns family last year, she acknowledged her concerns
That evening, Flores learned of the Burns family’s loss, but he had no idea what would happen next.
‘I prayed hard for the family who lost their partner, their child. I didn’t know where it came from,” Flores said.
“The night we found out, before I went to bed, I prayed for a heart for Eli, because he has a whole life left to live.”
‘At 3.47 am I received the call from our heart transplant team… after the transplant it was immediately a different Eli. There was so much joy I could see on his face.
When Flores was contacted by the Burns family last year, she acknowledged her concerns.
‘I’m a single mother. What if they wanted their son’s heart to go to a family with a mother and a father? Is my son good enough that they received their son’s heart?’ Flores recalled.
Jenny and Rob also met four-year-old Leonel, who was born with Citrullinemia Type 1 and rescued by Beau
Leonel’s mother Ginamarie Rodriguez (second from left) shared the exact same sentiment, saying, “I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt like family. We’ve been through everything we’ve both been through and we’re all grieving. I will be forever grateful to them
‘Leonel is so beautiful. He’s just a rambunctious little four-year-old boy, and it was so good to see him laughing and living so loudly,” Jenny said.
But when the two families reunited last October, all fears disappeared and were replaced by big hugs and tears as they greeted each other.
Flores said, “It was just an instant connection. It’s hard to put into words what they did to give my son a chance at life, but we are forever connected.
Jenny and Rob also met four-year-old Leonel, born with Citrullinemia Type 1, whose life was saved by Beau’s liver.
‘Leonel is so beautiful. He’s just a rambunctious little four-year-old boy, and it was so good to see him laughing and living so loudly,” Jenny said.
‘I don’t know what it is about these women, but we have a great bond. Both Ginamarie and April will be in our lives forever, and I will have two more sons.”
Leonel’s mother Ginamarie Rodriguez shared the exact same sentiment, saying, “I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt like family. We’ve been through everything we’ve both been through and we’re all grieving. I will be forever grateful to them.”
In January 2023, Jenny discovered she was pregnant with another baby boy and joyfully welcomed Jack, who she described as a ‘miracle’, sharing the news with DailyMail.com
In January 2023, Jenny discovered she was pregnant with another baby boy and joyfully welcomed Jack, who she described as a ‘miracle’, sharing the news with DailyMail.com.
Jenny said her mission is to share Beau’s story and spread knowledge about organ donation, drowning prevention and child loss.
‘Without my husband I probably would have said no. (I felt like) they said goodbye to my son the right way, but Rob saw the bigger picture and it was the best decision I ever made in my life,” she said.
“Beau was gone and I couldn’t do anything about it, but I could do this and help someone else (and) help another mother with their son. Watching them grow and seeing their mother’s love on them heals my heart.”