Acts of Kindness
Groom who lost kid brother receives emotional gift from bride he’ll never forget
There was no holding in his tears, it was the perfect gift.
Luis Gaskell
09.20.23

This wedding had some waterworks at play, but not for the usual reasons.

Katy and Derick’s wedding was a special enough day on its own, but Katy wanted to make it even more special.

Derick used to have a brother named Jake, who passed 13 years before their wedding.

YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)

Even as a grown man, the memory of Jake still never fails to get Derick soft and emotional.

He loved Jake to the moon and back, and was devastated when a tragic accident claimed the life of his beloved brother.

YouTube Screenshot - USA Today
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - USA Today

Long before his accident, Jake told their mother that he wanted his organs donated should anything ever happen to him.

In hindsight, it almost seemed like Jake knew what was to happen and planned ahead.

But Jake didn’t actually know what would happen, nor did his family.

When he passed in 2006, it broke Derick’s heart.

In the end, Jake’s wishes to be a donor were honored. After his death, his heart was donated to someone who needed it.

YouTube Screenshot - USA TODAY
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - USA TODAY

13 years later, Derick would marry the love of his life, Katy.

And at his wedding, his wife Katy, who herself lost her father, wanted to do something special for Derick.

A large hole was left in Derick’s heart when his sweet brother passed all those years ago.

But his brother’s selflessness would end up coming back to Derick on his wedding day.

“We said that if we could connect with heaven that you’d have Jake here and I’d have my dad here.” Katy said, holding back tears in the video from Fonash Studios.

Katy knows the anguish of losing a beloved family member.

YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)

She’s probably the best person for Derick to have when it comes to it.

“And I can’t do that….. I don’t have those superpowers,” she continued.

But what Katy did have was a special guest at their wedding who could heal some of those scars that Derick still had.

Katy had to make a few calls and narrow down some connections, but it was worth it in the end.

The guest at their wedding was Gracie, the girl who received Jake’s heart.

Thanks to Jake’s selflessness and the wish he told his family, Gracie was able to have a healthy heart.

YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)

Katy wanted Gracie to attend their wedding, since she carried a bit of Jake with her – literally.

Of course, Derick’s emotions came pouring out as he approached Gracie for a hug.

YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)

Gracie was technically a stranger to them, but having his brother’s heart makes her a lot more than that.

“I love you” said Derick immediately to the stranger carrying his brother’s heart.

Thanks to her, a little piece of Jake – and sintomasdelsida.org important one – can be here for his brother’s wedding.

“I’m glad that my brother was able to help you. You have the heart of a champion,” he says to Gracie with tears in his eyes.

YouTube Screenshot - USA Today
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - USA Today

Derick tells her that she’ll always be a part of their family, and to call him if she ever needs anything.

There was more to the surprise too.

Gracie handed Derick a curious little gift – which turned out to be a keychain with an engraving of Jake’s heartbeat on it.

His younger brother, even from beyond the grave, could still touch Derick’s heart and give him a new family member.

And that’s something Derick will never forget.

YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - USA Today (Fonash Studios)

Watch the video below to see this tear-jerking surprise for yourself!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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