A Pennsylvania bride was given away not by her father, but by the man who received her father’s heart.
Ten years ago, Jeni Stepien’s dad, Michael, was murdered.
At that time, in New Jersey, Arthur Thomas had been waiting for a heart donor for 16 years and was on the brink of death. He received Michael’s heart, giving him a second chance at life.
“We’ve been talking to him and writing letters and calling and receiving flowers and sending gifts for the past 10 years,” Jeni said. However, Jeni and her family have never met Arthur in person. It took a wedding – Jeni’s wedding to be exact – to bring them all together.
Jeni was certain she wanted to meet Arthur in person, but she didn’t want him to just attend the wedding. She wanted him to be a special part of it, so she wrote Arthur a letter, asking�him if he would walk her down the aisle. It said:
“Dear Tom, I’m the daughter of the man who’s heart is inside of you and I’m gonna get married on August 6th.�And one further thing if you’re willing, would you walk me down the aisle?”
Arthur was more than happy to comply.
“What a greater honor could a person have than walking the daughter of the man who’s given his heart to him,” Arthur Thomas told CBS Pittsburgh.
The glowing bride was even happier, saying that her wedding day was the best day of her life. It felt like her entire family was there, even her father who was there in spirit.
“It’s just like having my dad here and better because we get to share this story with people and other people see that organ donors do matter,” Jeni said.
Watch the video here:
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