An 8-year-old heart transplant patient met today in Bridgeport with the family of a little girl who gave him a new lease on life.

With the roar of monster trucks in the background at the Webster Bank Arena, Jayson Mejias was introduced to the family of U.S. Army Spc. Ricardo Francis, whose late daughter's heart now beats in his chest.

Francis says his little girl, Jalyn, was killed in a car accident in Massachusetts in 2010. He decided to donate her heart to save Mejias, who was at risk of dying from an enlarged heart.

The 8-year-old says he knows how lucky he is and loves days like this when he can show Francis his gratitude.

"Just being able to hear her heart beat again?it sounds the same," Francis says.

Francis and Mejias had met in the past, but this was the first time the boy was introduced to the rest of the soldier's family.