Grieving mom hears her son’s heartbeat for the first time after he died in a car accident in 2020

Maria Clark's son, Nicholas Peters, died two years ago in a car crash and she decided to donate his organs to the people in need.

Clark spoke to Good Morning America and described the 25-year-old Peters as the "life of the party. She said, "I said, 'We can't bury all of this magic, that we have to share.' " She further talked about her son, "He was always a people person, helping everybody, going out of his way to make sure you knew you were special." She stated that it was Peters' wish that his organs be donated after his death.

Clark had no idea that one of the receivers was only three hours away. Jean Paul Marceaux, 14, was on the waiting list for his second heart transplant in neighboring New Iberia, Louisiana, in September 2020. Jean Paul, now in seventh grade, was just two years old when he acquired a virus that caused cardiomyopathy. According to Mayo Clinic, it "is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body." 

Jean Paul received a heart transplant at the age of two after being on life support for six months while waiting for a new heart. However, his heart began to fail more than a decade later, according to Candace Armstrong, his mother. She said, "When he got the first transplant, we knew the probability of him having to get a second one was highly likely. He ended up in the hospital in June 2020."

According to Armstrong, Jean Paul spent the whole summer in the hospital battling for his life until his family received a call in September, informing them that a heart was available. Armstrong said, "It's such a dichotomy because you are hoping for it because it’s going to sustain your son’s life, but you know what this is attached to."

Clark stated that she knew her son's heart had been given but did not know to whom. Armstrong said they got a letter from Clark less than a year after his second transplant. Armstrong said, "The whole 10 years that we never had a response from our first hero’s family, we still honor this family and this hero, but it’s just not tangible." She added, "For Jean Paul to actually know a person and to connect with him and the family, it was the first time it had ever happened for us."

Clark and Armstrong claimed they talked on the phone right after the letter and stayed in touch via text and Facebook. Armstrong shared updates on Jean Paul's recovery that included a video of him dancing on prom. Clark and Armstrong scheduled an in-person meeting because they live less than three hours apart, but it was postponed owing to the coronavirus pandemic and Jean Paul's need to be isolated to preserve his immune system.  

After Jean Paul recovered from the transplant and was able to return to school, the two families met for the first time in person on May 14 in New Orleans. Armstrong and her son brought Clark a stethoscope so she could hear her son's heartbeat in Jean Paul. Clark said, "He came in and he just hugged me. He had a strong hug, just like Nick did. And then to hear the heartbeat, it was so strong and so full of life."

Armstrong and her family regard Clark, her children, and grandkids to be members of their family. She stated that they had images of Clark's son all around their house, including one on a bookcase in Jean Paul's room. She said, "We feel like we know him. We talk about him, Nick, like he’s part of his family, and he is. It’s not donor anymore, it’s Nick."

Clark said that while she misses her son, she finds solace in knowing that Peters is now assisting countless others in living healthy lives.