Transplant recipient walks donor’s daughter down aisle

A BRIDE in Pennsylvania was given away by the man who received her father’s donated heart.

Jeni Stepien’s father, Michael Stepien, 53, was robbed and murdered in September 2006 when he was walking home from work as a head chef at a restaurant.

His heart was donated through the Centre for Organ Recovery and Education – a group which allows donor families and recipients to keep in touch.

Stepien’s heart went to Arthur Thomas, a father of four who lives in the town of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and who had been within days of dying.

“To get to the top of the transplant list, you have to be really hurting,” Thomas, now 72, said.

He told The New York Times: “Once I had my transplant, I, of course, decided I would write a thank-you to the family.”

Stepien’s widow, Bernice, kept in touch with Thomas – with Christmas cards and flowers for birthdays.

But the families had not thought about meeting in person until Jeni Stepien became engaged to Paul Maenner, a 34-year-old engineer, in October.

“One of my first thoughts that following week was, ‘Who will walk me down the aisle?’ ” she said. “I was thinking, ‘It would be so incredible to have a physical piece of my father there’.”

At her fiance’s suggestion, Stepien wrote to Thomas asking him to walk her down the aisle. Thomas said yes, but only after talking to his daughter, Jackie, 30. “She said, ‘I think it’s a wonderful idea’,” he said.

The wedding took place on Friday, in the same church where Stepien’s parents were married.

Thomas and the bride formally met a day earlier, and he suggested she grip his wrist, where his pulse is strongest.

“I thought that would be the best way for her to feel close to her dad. That’s her father’s heart beating,” he said.

“I felt wonderful about bringing her dad’s heart to Pittsburgh. If I had to, I would’ve walked.”