Woman Hears Deceased Father’s Heartbeat on Wedding Day

ABC News reports that ten years ago, Jeni Stepien’s father Michael was murdered in Pittsburgh.

Her father Michael was an organ donor. Michael Stepien's heart went to Arthur Thomas of New Jersey, who’d been waiting 16 years for a heart replacement.

Jeni and her sister Michelle kept in contact with their father’s heart recipient via phone calls and letters and he would send them flowers. This tradition went on for ten years, without an in-person meeting.

When Jeni started planning her wedding for this past Saturday, she decided to write a letter to Arthur Thomas and ask if he would walk her down the aisle for her wedding, to which he agreed. Thomas and his wife went to Pittsburgh for the wedding and the two families all met the night before the ceremony. The girls hugged Thomas and said how special it was to feel their father’s heart beat for the first time in ten years. Said it was like having Dad there for the wedding day.

Please donate your organs when you’re done with them. Gift of Life Michigan has more details and beautiful stories here about the difference you can make.