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When the 11-week-old son of one of the mothers died, the other's 16-day-old son got his heart; the two moms -- who met years later -- both sang the same song from Wicked to their boys.
Howie Mandel wasn't exaggerating when he called this audition "probably the most magical moment I have ever experienced on America's Got Talent."
On Tuesday night's episode, NY high school theater director Holly Campbell and Oregon mom Kim Scadlock appeared on the show together with quite the story to tell.
As they explained to the judges before their performance, Holly lost her then-11-week-old son Jake back in 2007. The infant was an organ donor and his heart went to Kim's then-16-day-old son, Beckham.
"And the last song I sang to Jake to say goodbye to him was 'For Good,' from the musical Wicked,'" said Holly, before Kim added, "And when Beckham was finished with his heart transplant surgery, I wasn't allowed to hold him, I could just kind of stroke his head and the first thing I did when I stroked his head, was I sang that song 'For Good' from Wicked."
The two meet years later, after Kim wrote the Campbells a letter; Holly said meeting and hugging for the first time was "one of the best moments of my life." They added that they hoped with their audition to "spread the word about organ donation," with Kim saying that if they were able to "change the heart of one person" with their performance, "it's worth it."
Simon Cowell was moved by their story.
"It's such a sad story and the fact you shared it with us, I'm a dad, I get it and that story you just told me about the same song, that's unbelievable," he told them, as Holly said they too were "blown away" when they discovered their shared connection to the Broadway tune.
They then performed the duet for the audience, with Sofia Vergara wiping tears from her eyes as they sang. The audience was affected by their rendition as well, with many of them crying throughout the performance -- before giving the pair a standing ovation, one which the judges also joined.
The tears kept coming after Howie asked about Kim's son Beckham, who walked out on stage, now a full-grown teenager.
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"Honestly, I have never responded well to musical theater. They over dramatize singing. So this is the first time in my life that I've felt a connection to this type of music," Howie then told the women. "That is probably the most magical moment I have ever experienced on America's Got Talent."
Heidi Klum was at a loss for words, tears streaming down her cheek as well as she said she wanted to hug the "strong women" and praising their "very powerful" performance.
"I think this is a moment we're always going to remember, when you sang this song," added Vergara. "Obviously, you guys were meant to have between you. This was a special thing and thank you for coming to AGT tonight."
Though Simon said they seemed "very nervous," he commended them for their bravery and said their connection was simply "remarkable." He added, "Let me tell you something, this will make a difference, what you've just done. God bless you."
With that, they got four yesses from the judges to move on to the next round, before the two reunited with their families backstage. "That was incredible," added Simon, as Sofia noted how the performance was both "happy and sad at the same time."
Watch the full performance above ... and get the tissues ready.
