One bride couldn’t have her father walk her down the aisle, but she ensured she had the very next best thing.
Jeni Stepien’s father died during an armed robbery in 2006, and his loss was felt heavily as she prepared to marry her fiancé, Paul Maenner 10 years later.
And while her dad couldn’t be there, Jeni, who lives in Pennsylvania, asked the man who recieved his heart in an organ donation to walk her down the aisle.
Arthur Thomas recalls the letter Jeni sent him which read, “Tom, I’m the daughter of the man whose heart’s inside you, and I’m going to get married on August 6th,” he told ABC News. “One further thing, if you’re willing — would you walk me down the aisle?”
Arthur was more than willing.
Jeni described her wedding day as the best day of her life, and said she hoped the bittersweet gesture could encourage others to think about the decision her father made before his death.
“It’s just like having my dad here, and better because we get to share this story with other people and other people see that organ donors do matter.”
Jeni and Arthur walking down the aisle.
“I am so excited. It’s like the whole family’s here now. It’s like everybody’s here,” Jeni said.
“Just hugging him made me feel like I was close to my dad again, which on this day was perfect. It was what I needed,” Jeni’s sister Michelle added.
