Mom reunites with little girl who received late son's heart: 'A part of me came back'

Nothing is comparable to a mother's love. For those who are fortunate enough to experience it, their lives are filled with unconditional care. A mother named Alicia Erchul loved her son Grabiel Crystalus dearly but unfortunately, he passed away right after his birth, per Good Morning America. However, the mother made the heartbreaking decision to donate her son's heart. Through this difficult yet life-saving decision, she was able to keep a part of her son alive. She reunited with the girl named Price who received the donation at Disney Land recently.

"I've felt this weight on my chest [since his death] like I can't take a full breath," the mom said. She added that meeting Price felt like the weight was lifted off her chest and she could breathe again. Crystalus succumbed to traumatic head injuries when he was 4 months old due to Erchul's then-husband's negligence. The boy tragically passed away, but his heart found new life. Then 4-month-old Price was in dire need of a heart transplant after being diagnosed with a heart condition called cardiomyopathy. Price's grandmother, Dorothy Johnson, shared the grieving struggle of having to wait for someone to share life with her granddaughter. She said, "Every day you're hoping this is the day. By the same token, there's this bittersweet guilt because somebody had to lose a child."

That's when little Crystalus came in disguised as an angel and his heart was ready to be transplanted into the little girl. Johnson recalled, "When she was admitted [to the hospital], she was in advanced congestive heart failure. You couldn't imagine how bad that was, but you knew somebody had to lose a child for your child just to have a chance at life." Erchul was sure that she wanted her son to live on through organ donation. She had also donated a liver to another family. However, being heartbroken at the loss of her baby, she couldn't gather the strength to meet Price and her family. "I didn't want to impact their joy with our sorrow," she said.

Years later, Erchul decided she was ready to take the next step and reach out to the family. Her 6-year-old son Aidan too was ready to meet Morgan and on the infant's "angel-versary," the families decided to meet at Disney World. After communication, the two families finally met and the reunion was inexplicable. "It was like we met a long-lost friend or family member. Hugging Morgan and being able to be with her and feel her heartbeat, it just felt like a part of me that had gone came back," the mom said. While her joy knew no bounds, Price was nervous to meet the new stranger. However, her grandma knew the depth of the situation. "She was nervous. We were nervous, but it was amazing meeting them. They're family," Johnson exclaimed.

After a fulfilling time, Price and her family gifted Aidan and his mum a pink unicorn containing Price's heartbeat from a recent sonogram. On the other hand, Price received a Tigger stuffed toy representing Crystalus, who had dressed up as Tigger back then during Halloween. "She offered for me to feel her heart in her chest and she showed me her scar from the heart surgery. It was very touching and amazing that she's alive and doing so well. It's just a miracle," Erchul recalled. The families stay in touch and have shared their stories, hoping to promote organ donations so children like Price can receive new life with traces of donors like Crystalus.