Last month Granger Smith and his wife, Amber, shared a story no parent would every want to. Their son, River, drowned at their home—and despite attempts to revive him—the little boy died tragically at just 3 years old. But River’s parents managed to find some good in this absolutely devastating loss: They chose to donate their son’s organs, saving two lives in the process.

River’s mom, Amber, opened up about this choice in a heartbreaking Instagram post.

“I’ve always known I wanted to be a donor if anything were to ever happen to me,” Amber writes alongside a photo of River. “Never in a million years did I think I would be making that decision for my baby.”

Our hearts hurt so badly for this mama—but we’re also amazed by her ability to find a way to turn her worst-case scenario into a lifesaving measure for other families.

Amber shares more about her family’s gut-wrenching experience in the post, writing that doctors told Amber and Granger their son had no chance of brain recovery. As shocking as that was to hear, the parents knew they wanted to donate River’s organs as there are so many people who need donations to survive.

That choice began a three-day process of determining which organs could be donated and which recipients would be appropriate. Amber shares excruciating details about the night before River’s operation.

River’s organs saved two adults

“I spent the night laying in bed with him, crying and talking to him while they kept running tests and taking blood. The next morning family and staff lined the hall for the ‘walk of honor.’ We told them River liked to go fast, so to honor him, they pushed him down that hall faster than they had ever pushed anyone. Granger and I held each other and cried,” Amber writes.

It’s all so terribly tragic…but the outcome is bittersweet. Amber and Granger received a letter explaining that River’s organs saved two adults, a 49-year-old woman and a 53-year-old man. Amber calls the decision to donate her precious son’s organs the hardest and easiest of her life.

Our thoughts continue to be with River’s family. We can’t even imagine what they’re going through, but their strength and grace in the face of all this is incredible—and we hope they’ll always find comfort in the fact that little River left a beautiful, heroic, lifesaving legacy behind.

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