Mother hears son’s donated heart beat in recipient

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - A mother who lost her only son in a car crash met the man who now lives because of him.

Sylvia Villalpando lost her only son, Arturo in a car crash.

At just 25 years old, Victor Romero was waiting for a heart in order to live.

And what connects them is a gift Sylvia never expected to give.

Six months after losing her son, Sylvia says she never thought she’d hear his heart again.

All it took was a hug for her to once again hear Arturo's heart beating.

“My son was a great guy. He graduated high school… he was a mama’s boy, and I did whatever I could for him. He still is till this day,” shared Villalpando.

When Arturo died in a car accident back in March, Sylvia says the choice to donate his organs wasn’t easy — but it was what he would have wanted.

“My son wouldn’t want to live like a vegetable. I’m glad we made that decision — he was able to save six lives,” she said.

One of those live belongs to Victor, a young father who was told by doctors he needed a heart transplant at just twenty-five years old.

“For me, I was able to see my baby daughter be born with that second chance and be able to have a life with her. In just a second — everything changed,” explained Arturo.

The Southwest Transplant Alliance says moments like this are rare — and they show just how powerful one donor can be.

“Organ donation is one of the most beautiful gifts you can give. Someone else’s generosity is the reason a recipient gets a second chance — another set of birthdays, another set of Christmases,” said Kelly James with Southwest Transplant Alliance.

For Sylvia, hearing her son’s heart again was both heartbreaking and healing.

“When I heard his heart, of course I cried. It’s always happiness and sad. Happy because victor got another chance — sad because my son got killed in a car accident,” said Villapando.

Sylvia and Victor say they plan to keep in touch. Sylvia hopes to one day meet the other recipients of her son’s organs.