‘His heart has given life’: Mother meets teen saved by receiving her son’s heart

METAIRIE, La. (WVUE/Gray News) - A Louisiana mother got the chance to hear her son’s heartbeat one more time, even after she lost him in a car crash.

WVUE reports Maria Peters Clark’s 25-year-old son Nicholas was killed in a crash in September 2020.

On Saturday, Clark got to meet 14-year-old Jean Paul Marceaux, who has her late son’s heart in his chest, thanks to Nicholas being an organ donor.

“I’m just feeling so much love and joy,” Clark said.

Marceaux and his mother, Candice Armstrong, met Clark together and brought a stethoscope so Clark could hear her son’s heartbeat.

“Oh my gosh! It’s so strong! Just to know that it’s in him,” Clark said. “His heart has given life to this young little boy and his family and so many others.”

Clark’s son said her son’s eyes are also helping others see.

“He’s given sight to two different women,” she said. “You get that call, and the doctors tell you that there’s nothing they can do for your loved one, and you have to make a choice.”

The Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency helped set up Saturday’s monumental meeting between the two families.

Marceaux suffered from a virus that affected his heart when he was 2-years-old. This is his second heart transplant, but now he said he is as strong and healthy as ever.

“I like to play baseball,” he said. “I want to be on a baseball team. I like to ride my bike.”

Armstrong said she hopes Clark can feel some comfort after losing her son.

“I just hope it gives (Clark) some comfort; that’s my ultimate hope,” Armstrong said.

Clark said that her heart was full during Saturday’s meeting.

“I’m happy to know that this young man can live a healthy life and be vibrant and continue on his life,” she said. “And I’m just so honored to be a part of that.”

Copyright 2022 WVUE via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.