In 2006, Michael Stepien was shot and killed while walking home from work, but this didn't stop him from attending his daughter's wedding recently, because Jeni (Stepien, now Lynne) invited the man who received her father's donated heart to walk her down the aisle, and it made for the most incredible day.
Arthur Thomas, 72, was close to death when a suitable heart was found. It was Michael's heart, and the donation saved his life. Thomas wrote a thank you note to the family and they remained in touch over the years, so when Jeni wrote him a letter asking if he'd walk her down the aisle, he proudly honored her request. "What greater honor could a person have than walking the daughter of the man who's given his heart to him," he told KDKA. "I can't imagine a greater honor."
When Jeni Stepien (now Lynne) recently asked Arthur Thomas to walk her down the aisle, he simply couldn't refuse
Because although he isn't her father, Thomas received her father's heart when Michael Stepien was killed during a robbery in 2006
He wrote the Stepiens a thank you note and they stayed in touch over the years
And when Jeni wrote to him recently with her special request, he just couldn't say no
"What greater honor could a person have than walking the daughter of the man who's given his heart to him. I can't imagine a greater honor"
"It truly was the best day of my entire life!" wrote Jeni on Facebook. "To be able to bring my dad home and have him at my wedding was an absolute dream come true!"
