Dying mother's heartbeat placed in Build-A-Bears and given to her grieving children

At 41 years old, Sandra Obregon — mother, wife, daughter and friend — lost her life to COVID-19. After spending 45 days at Methodist Hospital Stone Oak, Sandra and her intensive care unit (ICU) team developed a special connection that spread to the entire Obregon family.

At the time, the hospital was not allowing visitors as a safety precaution, which would have meant her husband, Mark, could not visit. Circumstances unexpectedly changed when Mark simultaneously became a patient at Methodist Hospital Stone Oak. As her symptoms worsened, Sandra and Mark’s care teams arranged a visit for the couple before she was intubated.

When Mark was not there, her caregivers assumed the role of family. When Sandra passed away, her care team knew they did not just lose a patient — they lost a dear friend. Their hearts ached for Mark and their three children: Nathan (14), Noah (5) and Isabella (2). In response, the ICU team wanted to express their empathy and gratitude in a meaningful way.

The nurses decided to donate Build-A-Bears for her children, but these were not just ordinary bears. They were intimately designed to include the sound of their mother’s heartbeat, captured by an EKG prior to her death. Their hope is that when Nathan, Noah and Isabella hear her heartbeat and feel the vibrations in these bears, they will know their mother is always with them and that her nurses’ hearts are with them, too.

The children were not the only ones surprised with a gift from the caregivers. When a request for donations went to the entire ICU team, the generosity exceeded the cost of the bears. They presented the remainder of the funds to Mark to reiterate that they are his family, too.