Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Turning a heartbeat into a lasting legacy

WEST BEND, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Talking about end of life care can be tough, and it's something we don't do that often.

It takes a special person to tackle the topic. Amy Kopfmann is one of those people.

As a music therapist in West Bend, she is using her musical gifts to help families through a difficult time.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound," Kopfmann sang as she played the guitar. "That saved a wretch like me."

This song will always be a special one for Carol Daniels.

"When I think about Amy, I think of her beautiful singing voice," Daniels said.

Daniels lost her husband, Jack, last July.

"And as she played the song, he passed away," she remembered.

"That song will always remind me of that moment," Kopfmann said.

Kopfmann is a music therapist at Cedar Community.

It's a career born of experience.

"I never really thought that she wouldn't be here," Kopfmann said.

She lost her sister, Nicole, to brain cancer 10 years ago.

"Music was a way to understand what I didn't understand about life," she said.

Now she helps residents at this senior living community with everything from exercise to memory recall.

But end of life care is where she's found her true passion.

"I have a lot of songs," she laughed, scrolling through her music library.

Kopfman has assembled her own recording studio to create one-of-a-kind mementos for families.

"I was like, I wonder if I can then take the heartbeat and make it like a drum beat, and sing a song above it," she said of the moment she got an idea.

Now, using a heart-recording stethoscope, she does just that.

Recording her beautiful singing voice to match.

"Makes me cry thinking about it. Because it's just these little things we can give people that are so simple," she said.

Each recording is accompanied by a shadow box, like the one she made for Carol Daniels.

"His little prayer book when he must have been about 6 years old," Daniels said, looking at the keepsakes inside. "It makes me cry. I so wish that he was still here."

The waves of her husband's heartbeat are accompanied by the lyrics from his song.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me," Daniels read.

Creating a lasting memory and bringing comfort to families through the soothing sound of a loved one's heartbeat.

"Because that's what I hope to bring to people," Kopfmann said. "Here's just something else that they left behind for you. And you can carry that with you."

Last year, Amy got a Cedar Community Carl Zielger Education Scholarship. So, she's now taking classes in sound therapy to add to her skills. She's created 10 of these legacy projects so far, with many more to come.

If you'd like to nominate an Everyday Hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].