NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Ryan Ainsworth met 9-year-old Penny, who received his late daughter Emma’s heart in a life-saving transplant<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Ainsworth described hearing Emma’s heartbeat in Penny’s chest as an emotional and bittersweet moment of connection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Penny’s mother said the transplant gave her daughter new energy and was “the biggest gift”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A New Mexico father got the chance to meet the little girl who received the heart of his late daughter.<\/p>\n
Ryan Ainsworth \u2014 from Portales, New Mexico \u2014 remembers the day he took his 15-year-old daughter Emma to register for her driver’s license. While filling out paperwork, he asked if she wanted to be an organ donor.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe looked back at me with a big smile and said, \u2018Yes. I want to do this, Dad,’ \u201d he told TODAY<\/a>.<\/p>\nSign up for <\/strong>From the Editor<\/strong><\/a>, our free weekly newsletter from PEOPLE’s Editor-in-Chief, Charlotte Triggs.<\/strong><\/p>\nUnfortunately, three weeks later, Emma died by suicide at her school.<\/p>\n
As a donor, four of Emma’s organs were prepared for their recipients. Ainsworth recalled the \u201csobering\u201d moment when about 700 students and friends lined the hospital hallways and lobby, honoring his daughter’s \u201cWalk of Honor\u201d as she was brought to the operating room.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nEmma Ainsworth
Credit: Wheeler Mortuary<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
One of the recipients was 9-year-old Penny from Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n
Penny was born \u201cessentially with half a functioning heart and absent pulmonary valve,\u201d her mother Paula White told the outlet.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has a port in her stomach; she’s deaf in one ear. She was born with a myriad of defects that affected her ability to walk,” White continued. “She had two major heart repairs, endless procedures, and then also we almost lost her a couple times before heart failure even began.\u201d<\/p>\n
White said that her daughter had been on the transplant list at Children’s Health Hospital in Dallas, and the family was feeling hopeful before getting the news that she had a donor.<\/p>\n\n![\"Ryan](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/kkR41OMFQkyn93qdtkeTJg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTg0ODtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/a2e66a385b2ad462d544f93801c7674d\"\/)
<\/div>\nRyan Ainsworth meeting Penny
Credit: Paula White\/TikTok<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cI told her dad six hours prior that I could feel it coming. I got the call around 2 or 3 in the morning and I started screaming at the top of my lungs,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI don’t think I’ll ever have the words to describe what it was like. It was incredible. It was terrifying. But I knew we needed it, and we needed it soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Penny received Emma’s heart on April 1, 2025, in a successful transplant surgery.<\/p>\n
Following surgery, the organ donor program allows donor families and recipients to send letters to each other. White ultimately sent Ainsworth a heartfelt message alongside a photo of Penny.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of you and your child, [Penny] now has the energy to chase her dreams again,\u201d she wrote in the letter. \u201cEvery beat of her heart is a living reminder of your child’s love and legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The families continued to correspond with each other and even talked on the phone. Last month, Ainsworth was visiting Fort Worth, Texas, and White invited him to meet her and Penny over dinner.<\/p>\n
White posted a video of the sweet interaction on May 27 and shared how stunned she was by Penny’s reaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve shown her his photo, but I never expected her to remember him,\u201d she told TODAY. \u201cWe were pulling up into the parking lot, and she sees a man on a bench, and she starts screaming, \u2018That’s him!’ She just jumps in his arms like they’ve always known each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was happy to see a little girl living because of Emma’s heart,\u201d Ainsworth said. \u201cIt was just great when she ran up to me and gave me a hug. It was just like I’d known her forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Ryan](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/qrsbHJ3edvt6WW4cSekZwQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTk2MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/9f81a9cb57fe4fc8c0d0486998c81eaf\"\/)
<\/div>\nRyan Ainsworth meeting Penny
Credit: Paula White\/TikTok<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
During their dinner, Penny asked Ainsworth if he’d like to hear his daughter’s heart beating in her chest. Overwhelmed with emotions, he agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s where the emotions got me. I don’t know if it wasn’t one emotion, it was all of them,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cMy stomach turned upside down. At the first ka-thunk <\/em>ka-thunk <\/em>ka-thunk<\/em>, I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ Emma couldn’t have gotten a better recipient than that little girl. She is 100% Emma.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI heard that heartbeat and it was just\u2026 I mean, it was the most bittersweet thing I could have ever imagined,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
White said that she’s thrilled that Penny’s health has turned around. Although she knows that her daughter’s life will always be at risk, she said she’s simply grateful for the time the transplant has given them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s a peace that comes with this that I wasn’t expecting to have,\u201d she explained. \u201cBut a transplant isn’t a cure. It is the biggest gift of all: it’s more time, and that’s all I could ever ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n
The families have remained in touch and have since teamed up to raise awareness<\/a> for mental health resources in honor of Emma.<\/p>\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for <\/strong>PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at <\/em>988lifeline.org<\/em><\/a> 24\/7.<\/em><\/p>\n
Ryan Ainsworth met 9-year-old Penny, who received his late daughter Emma’s heart in a life-saving transplant<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Ainsworth described hearing Emma’s heartbeat in Penny’s chest as an emotional and bittersweet moment of connection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Penny’s mother said the transplant gave her daughter new energy and was “the biggest gift”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A New Mexico father got the chance to meet the little girl who received the heart of his late daughter.<\/p>\n
Ryan Ainsworth \u2014 from Portales, New Mexico \u2014 remembers the day he took his 15-year-old daughter Emma to register for her driver’s license. While filling out paperwork, he asked if she wanted to be an organ donor.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe looked back at me with a big smile and said, \u2018Yes. I want to do this, Dad,’ \u201d he told TODAY<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sign up for <\/strong>From the Editor<\/strong><\/a>, our free weekly newsletter from PEOPLE’s Editor-in-Chief, Charlotte Triggs.<\/strong><\/p>\n Unfortunately, three weeks later, Emma died by suicide at her school.<\/p>\n As a donor, four of Emma’s organs were prepared for their recipients. Ainsworth recalled the \u201csobering\u201d moment when about 700 students and friends lined the hospital hallways and lobby, honoring his daughter’s \u201cWalk of Honor\u201d as she was brought to the operating room.<\/p>\n Emma Ainsworth One of the recipients was 9-year-old Penny from Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n Penny was born \u201cessentially with half a functioning heart and absent pulmonary valve,\u201d her mother Paula White told the outlet.<\/p>\n \u201cShe has a port in her stomach; she’s deaf in one ear. She was born with a myriad of defects that affected her ability to walk,” White continued. “She had two major heart repairs, endless procedures, and then also we almost lost her a couple times before heart failure even began.\u201d<\/p>\n White said that her daughter had been on the transplant list at Children’s Health Hospital in Dallas, and the family was feeling hopeful before getting the news that she had a donor.<\/p>\n Ryan Ainsworth meeting Penny \u201cI told her dad six hours prior that I could feel it coming. I got the call around 2 or 3 in the morning and I started screaming at the top of my lungs,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI don’t think I’ll ever have the words to describe what it was like. It was incredible. It was terrifying. But I knew we needed it, and we needed it soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Penny received Emma’s heart on April 1, 2025, in a successful transplant surgery.<\/p>\n Following surgery, the organ donor program allows donor families and recipients to send letters to each other. White ultimately sent Ainsworth a heartfelt message alongside a photo of Penny.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of you and your child, [Penny] now has the energy to chase her dreams again,\u201d she wrote in the letter. \u201cEvery beat of her heart is a living reminder of your child’s love and legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n The families continued to correspond with each other and even talked on the phone. Last month, Ainsworth was visiting Fort Worth, Texas, and White invited him to meet her and Penny over dinner.<\/p>\n White posted a video of the sweet interaction on May 27 and shared how stunned she was by Penny’s reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve shown her his photo, but I never expected her to remember him,\u201d she told TODAY. \u201cWe were pulling up into the parking lot, and she sees a man on a bench, and she starts screaming, \u2018That’s him!’ She just jumps in his arms like they’ve always known each other.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was happy to see a little girl living because of Emma’s heart,\u201d Ainsworth said. \u201cIt was just great when she ran up to me and gave me a hug. It was just like I’d known her forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryan Ainsworth meeting Penny During their dinner, Penny asked Ainsworth if he’d like to hear his daughter’s heart beating in her chest. Overwhelmed with emotions, he agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s where the emotions got me. I don’t know if it wasn’t one emotion, it was all of them,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cMy stomach turned upside down. At the first ka-thunk <\/em>ka-thunk <\/em>ka-thunk<\/em>, I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ Emma couldn’t have gotten a better recipient than that little girl. She is 100% Emma.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI heard that heartbeat and it was just\u2026 I mean, it was the most bittersweet thing I could have ever imagined,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n White said that she’s thrilled that Penny’s health has turned around. Although she knows that her daughter’s life will always be at risk, she said she’s simply grateful for the time the transplant has given them.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s a peace that comes with this that I wasn’t expecting to have,\u201d she explained. \u201cBut a transplant isn’t a cure. It is the biggest gift of all: it’s more time, and that’s all I could ever ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n The families have remained in touch and have since teamed up to raise awareness<\/a> for mental health resources in honor of Emma.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <\/strong>PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at <\/em>988lifeline.org<\/em><\/a> 24\/7.<\/em><\/p>\n
Credit: Wheeler Mortuary<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>
Credit: Paula White\/TikTok<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>
Credit: Paula White\/TikTok<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n