When 10-week-old Jacob Rian Campbell stopped breathing during a nap in August 2007, parents Holly and Andrew Campbell of Horseheads rushed him to a hospital.
They would soon learn their baby was brain dead. But his death has meant life for another child, a boy the Campbells got to meet for the first time Saturday during the 2010 National Kidney Foundation's U.S. Transplant Games held in Madison, Wis.
Holly was expected to sing "For Good" from the Broadway musical "Wicked" during the opening ceremonies to honor her late son, known affectionately as Jake. It's the song she sang to Jake before he died.
"For Good" is also the song Kim Scadlock of Iowa City sang to her infant son, Beckham Scadlock, moments after he received Jake's heart. The families didn't know each other or that each mother had sung the same song to their son.
Beckham, who turns 3 on Sunday, was born with a heart murmur and almost immediately placed on a transplant list.
Although the thought of another family losing a child was terrible, Kim and her husband, Nate Scadlock, prayed that if this were to happen, the other family would find the courage to donate the child's organs.
Ten days after Beckham's name appeared on the transplant list, the Scadlocks prayers were answered.
Losing a son
Andrew Campbell placed his son Jake in his bassinette for an afternoon nap and when he returned to check on him, the infant wasn't breathing.
Although Jake's heartbeat was restored at a hospital, he was brain dead, Holly said.
"At the time, we knew that there was no chance of Jake being able to recover," Holly said. "It took a little time to come to grips with it, but as soon as we realized that, we chose organ donation."
The couple wanted something good to come from their tragedy, Holly said.
"If another family could experience the joy of knowing their baby was going to survive, that would ease the loss in our lives," she said.
They donated his corneas so that another child could be given the gift of sight. But Jake's heart had to be beating in order to harvest it.
Holly and Andrew had wanted to let Jake die naturally, in the comfort of their arms but they knew that wasn't possible if he was to be a donor.
With little time to say goodbye to their son, Holly sang "For Good," a song about people who come into your life for a reason and leave a handprint on your heart.
They quickly learned about a 2-week-old boy in Iowa who needed a heart and that Jake was a match.
"We were given very limited demographic information," Holly said.
About a month later, they received a letter indicating the transplant was a success.
"But that was it," Holly recalled. "We didn't know anything else, if the child was still alive or how he was doing."
Watching from afar
Andrew Campbell's curiosity eventually prompted a basic Internet search where he discovered a blog about Beckham.
"The family kept a very detailed blog about everything that happened to Beckham," Holly said. "He was the right age and gender and we thought, 'What are the odds?'"
Holly and Andrew quietly observed him from afar and enjoyed the Scadlock family's postings about Beckham's progress.
As much as they wanted to, they couldn't directly contact the Scadlock family, Holly said. They had to use the proper channels.
They wrote a letter and then waited for a response.
"It was a busy time," Holly recalled. "I was pregnant with Alex and we were getting ready to move. They, of course, had no idea we were watching them."
Their older son, Benjamin Campbell, now 5, was still a toddler at the time.
Connecting families
Kim Scadlock struggled to respond to the Campbells' letter. She wrote and rewrote a letter to the family. Finally, after a year, she found the right words and the courage to send it.
When the Campbells wrote back, the Scadlocks were surprised to learn that the family already knew who they were.
Soon they began e-mailing, sharing news on Facebook and chatting on the phone.
During a recent telephone conversation, Kim put Beckham on the phone to say hello to Andy and Holly.
"It was one of the most moving experiences of my life, getting to hear the voice of the little boy who carries our son's heart," Holly said.
"I cannot wait to give him a hug and feel that heart beating and tell him, in person, just how much we have all fallen in love with him."
Andrew and Holly also look forward to meeting other donor families and athletes, Holly said, adding, "There is nothing more comforting than seeing what an amazing change can occur for those have received and organ or tissue transplant."
Pictured aboveHolly Campbell of Horseheads hugs Beckham Scadlock, who turns 3 today, on Saturday as they meet for the first time at the National Kidney Foundation U.S. Transplant Games in Madison, Wis. Beckham received the heart of Campbell's son Jake, who passed away in 2007. (Photo provided)
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