Jeni Stepien’s wedding day was a celebration of love and life, as she was walked down the aisle by the man who received her late father’s donated heart, Arthur Tom Thomas.
A Heartwarming Story
Ten years after losing her father to a senseless tragedy, Jeni Stepien walked toward her future husband, Paul Maenner, on the arm of the one man who could testify that her father’s heart was still beating.
As guests rose to their feet that day at the church in Pittsburgh, there was hardly a dry eye. Arthur Tom Thomas, the recipient of Michael Stepien’s donated heart, gently escorted the new bride — daughter of his organ donor — down the aisle.
Just moments earlier, when the two met in person for the first time, the older man leaned over and whispered something she would never forget. “If you’d like,” he said softly, “when I give you away, you can place your hand on my chest and feel the beat of your father’s heart.”
Time seemed to stand still. The daughter who thought she had lost her father forever was suddenly going to be connected to him again — at her wedding — not just emotionally, but physically.
Seconds later, beneath her hand, she felt the heartbeat that had once comforted her as a little girl, cheered her on through life and loved her unconditionally. It was a moment so powerful that many people in attendance that day — not just the bride and groom — described it as a life-changing experience.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
