Monique Salinas' brother Mikey was killed in a car crash 10 years ago - and there's not a day that goes by when she doesn't miss him.
On the eve of her quinceañera, Salinas told her mother that she wished her brother could be at her party.
But little did she know that a part of her brother would actually be there to celebrate her coming of age - his heart, but in another person's body.
On the day of her quinceañera, Salinas was reunited with Mikey's heart and kidneys, which have been transplanted into 18-year-old Aubrey Reeves.
Reeves suffered from a rare congenital heart disease which meant she needed a heart transplant.
However her body had already rejected two hearts and doctors said the chances of her finding an organ match were the same as "winning the lottery".
Out of one family's tragedy, came another family's hope, as Mikey's heart was transplanted into Reeves' body with no issues.
A decade after Mikey's death, the two families were finally able to meet.
Reeves drove for 10 hours to attend Salinas' 'coming of age' party and, as you can imagine, the meeting was incredibly emotional.
Salinas' mum Melissa Hernandez was the first to meet Reeves. She said she felt a connection almost immediately.
They hugged and Hernandez bent down to listen to her son's heart beating in Reeves' chest.
"I had made a tough choice as a parent," Hernandez told Today.com. "Seeing Aubrey, I knew I had done the right thing."
Moments later, Salinas' birthday wish came true, as the pair met for the first time and embraced.
Salinas said that meeting Reeves "was like no other surprise".
"It was a very special and amazing gift that no one else could give me. I knew I couldn't have my brother there physically, but I had Aubrey, and he was there in her."
