Specialists at a Texas hospital are keeping memories alive for families with a recording of their child's heartbeat set to a song, WFAA reported.
Child life specialists at Cook Children’s Hospital in Dallas call it one of the most meaningful gestures they can do for a family that is about to lose a child.
“It's such a personal and private memento for them,” Shea Ingram, a music specialist at the hospital, told WFAA.
Cook uses a powerful stethoscope to record the heartbeat. She then works with music producer Raymond Turner, they work with the family -- and sometimes, even the child -- to choose a meaningful song. The heartbeat is then set to music, and it is not altered in any way, WFAA reported.
“I'll tell you, each one impacts me in a very strong way,” Turner, who also has lost a child, told WFAA. “There have been times where I'll listen to it, and I'll have to kind of stop for a minute and just let the tears come.”
"It's a sacred moment. The whole process is for the families," Ingram told WFAA.
Ten families have accepted the hospital’s offer.
Micah Ahern, who was the batboy for Texas Christian University's baseball team, died of cancer in July 2016. He was 7. Micah chose his own heartbeat song before he died. His mother, Linda Ahern, does not listen to it often, but she is comforted knowing it is there.
"For me, it's a reminder that he's not here, but he's alive," Ahern told WFAA. "It's awesome. It's really like the sweetest sound. Isn't it?"
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