Each kit includes materials to preserve a printed copy of a patient’s EKG in heartbeat jars, along with art supplies to create fingerprint keepsakes. Our team has been grateful for these simple tools that help families create lasting connections during some of life’s hardest moments. 

Recently, a social worker cared for a patient in his 20s whose family was offered the opportunity to create these keepsakes. 
 
“The mom was very grateful, and we took our time getting his fingerprint and a copy of his heartbeat,” said Haley Courtney, BCN social worker (MSW, CSW). “It was one way we could show her that we truly cared.” 

For another family, the team also created heartbeat memory jars for a mom’s young children and her sister. When the team learned the patient’s favorite color was purple, the team added purple ribbon to each jar, personalizing the keepsakes in a way that honored who she was and the love her family shared. 

In another instance, the team provided EKG strips to a patient’s two sons. The boys cherished the keepsakes and later shared that they hoped to have their mother’s heartbeat tattooed in her honor. 

Through donor and grant‑funded programs like Integrative Medicine, BCN teams are able to offer families more than medical care; they provide comfort, connection, and tangible memories that last long after goodbye.