Keira Ball was nine when she passed away, three days after she was in a horrific car crash near her home in Devon last July which left her with serious head injuries.
Her family took the heartbreaking decision to allow her to become an organ donor, motivated by her desire to help others.
At the same time Max Johnson, 10, was fighting for his life at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and needed a transplant to save him.
Max's family later received a phone call saying an organ had been found and was a match.
The Daily Mirror – which campaigned alongside Max to bring about the 'Max's Law' change to the organ donor system in England and Ireland – has now united Keira's family with the boy her heart saved.
Keira's dad Joe Ball said: "Now I know what the donation has done for him, it brings it all home, this is the real person.
"It feels like such a big part of Keira is in Max now. He is a legend."
Max's dad Paul Johnson said: "Keira is part of our family now, and always will be. She will be remembered by our family for ever.
"She will live on, and not just for us. Thank you feels wholly inadequate somehow. To be able to see you and talk to you means so much. It is important for you to see what a difference you made to all our lives. It will never, ever come close to replacing what you have lost."
Max had been waiting for eight months for a new heart after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, which causes the organ to enlarge.
Keira saved four lives in total, including another young boy who received her pancreas and liver.
A charity, called InspiredbyKeira, is helping other families who have lost children. It can be found on facebook.com/inspiredbykeira/
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