A wedding is supposed to have all of your family attending. But when you lose someone, there is always a spot that you can’t fill. And for Becky Turney, that spot was marked by an empty chair at her wedding in Alaska. The space should have been for her son, 19-year-old Triston – but tragically the young man died in an accidental shooting.

But as one special guest was about to show Becky, Triston’s spirit lived on. Her new husband, Kelly Turney, had the gift of a lifetime flown in just for Becky. Jacob Kilby – the man who had received the heart of Triston. Jacob had been born with a heart defect. The 21-year-old had hypoplastic left heart syndrome and had already had three heart surgeries and one prior transplant at the age of two. But, as he was leaving for college, that heart failed and Jacob was placed on the waiting list once again. And then Triston’s heart became available.

Becky Turney listens to her son’s heart, which now lives inside Jacob Kilby. Photo by LoveAdventured

Becky and Jacob had only ever spoken over the phone and through messages online, but had never met in person – until her wedding day. “I lost my mind. I squealed like a little girl. I jumped up and down. It was incredible,” Becky said. The photos captured of the moment when the pair met in person went viral as soon as wedding photographer Amber Lanphier posted them on Facebook. In one picture, Becky listened to Jacob’s chest, hearing Triston’s heart beat again. 

There really are no words, and that’s the coolest part because the pictures, they say it all,” Becky said.

She never expected Kelly to manage a surprise like this. “I’ve never ever been surprised like that, like ever. I’m the girl who secretly unwraps all the Christmas presents under the tree and puts them back. So for him to pull this off was just incredible,” Becky said.

It took some quick thinking and months of work, Kelly said, to keep Jacob a secret until the moment he brought him out as a “sixth groomsman”.  It worked – there wasn’t a dry eye at the wedding. “I got yelled at quite a bit for messing up people’s makeup,” Kelly said. For Jacob, the heart was a gift of a lifetime, and one he doesn’t take for granted.

“There has seriously not been one complication with the transplant. Everything’s been golden,” he said. “I surf, I go to the gym everyday, I do cardio. I’m back to my normal self.” Jacob, Kelly and Becky all hope that this will remind others of the importance of becoming an organ donor. “I wouldn’t be here without it,” Jacob said.

Becky and Kelly Turney with their kids, including Triston Green, second from the right, who recently died. Photo courtesy of Kelly Turney

Triston’s other vital organs went to four people – one of which has been in contact with Becky. She said she hopes one day to meet the other recipients. “Those bonds that we’re creating are priceless. They’re healing,” she said. “Everyone has a legacy, but to see how Triston changed Jacob’s life is just incredible … It makes you super proud.”

Becky described her adventurous son as the kind of person who was “everyone’s best friend.” “He made people feel comfortable in their own skin. He challenged them to face the world. He rooted for the underdog,” she said. “He’s one amazing man and I’m quite proud of him,” Becky wrote of her son on social media. Watch below to see this amazing story of the family’s first meeting with Jacob.

Sources: Today | NBC New York