Earlier this year, Jamie Fontenot was forced to say goodbye to her ailing father at Louisiana’s Lafayette General Medical Center.
The moment the 86-year-old passed away, a melody came over the hospital’s PA system.
It was a lullaby that the hospital plays to announce the birth of a baby.
One death, one birth and a bond between two families that will last forever… This is the story of two families going in completely different directions, but whose paths crossed in a wonderful way.
The baby was born to Connie Despanie and Benjamin Hall. They decided to name their son Kingston. However, they were undecided on a middle name. But then a handwritten note from a stranger would change everything.
“After Dad passed away, we stayed in his room for a little bit, and then the doctor came in and asked us to step into the hallway. When we were in the hallway, we heard a lullaby playing. I didn’t even think about it at the time, but something just moved me to go get paper and write a note,” Jamie says.
And that letter would form a special bond between these two families. Jamie gave the letter to a receptionist and asked her to give it to the parents of the baby that had just born.
When new mom Connie got the letter, she couldn’t hold back her tears.
Jamie’s note read:
“To my dad’s angel: Even though I will never know your name, you are the first child born here after my dad’s passing at 10:41 a.m. approximately this morning. When one life is taken, another is given — so you are the angel that I will relate with my dad. I hope your life and the life of your family has as many blessing as my dad gave me and my eight siblings! Please keep my dad in your prayers. His name is James.”
Connie and Benjamin were so touched by Jamie’s letter that they decided to take James for their son’s middle name.
The families were later connected by the hospital and featured in a segment on CBS News. In it, the two women meet and discuss the unusual event that led to Kingston’s middle name.
“A baby was named after my dad. He would be so totally proud,” Jamie says.
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