An Alaskan woman received a wedding day surprise, when the young man who received her deceased son's heart showed up to the ceremony unexpectedly.
Becky Turney had never met Jacob Kilby, the man who received the heart of her son Triston, who suddenly died in the fall of 2015.
Becky's husband, Kelly Turney was the one to arrange the surprise by secretly inviting Jacob to wedding so that a little part of Triston could be there.
"Kelly wanted to surprise Becky for the wedding," Jacob told CTVNews.ca by telephone from Palmer, Alaska. "He offered to send me a ticket so I could fly up for the wedding. I was super excited to do it."
The 21-year-old flew from his home in San Diego, California and stayed out of sight while waiting for the ceremony to begin.
After the bride had walked the aisle, the groom turned to the guests, sharing that while Triston couldn't be there, he was there with them in spirit. He then invited Jacob to come up and meet Becky.
The wedding photographers Love Adventured captured the special moment.
Continue to the next page to see the meeting.
Jacob was born with the genetic defect, hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He underwent 3 surgeries in his first few weeks of life, but the doctors were unable to repair his heart. At the age of 2 he received his first heart transplant.
By his senior year of high school, his body began to reject the organ. The arteries in his heart began to collapse, and doctors inserted stents into his arteries and placed him on the heart transplant list.
Jacob then experienced a heart attack while surfing near his California home. This increased the urgency for a new heart.
"I couldn't have received a better heart," Jacob said. "I've had zero complications. I'm back to exercise, back to school, back to surfing."
The wedding photographers snapped pictures of the two as they shared a long hug, bringing Becky and most of the wedding party to tears.
Later, during the reception, Jacob brought out a stethoscope that he had packed in his suitcase and offered for Becky to listen to his heart.
Becky's eyes filled with tears as she listened to her son's heart beating inside 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 shared on her Facebook page, that Jacob's presence at the wedding was "hands down the best gift" and the "most amazing surprise ever!"
Source: CTV
