Bride Walks Down Aisle Accompanied By Father Of Late Organ Donor Who Saved Her Life

Jul 27, 2022 by apost team

There are currently over 100,000 people on the national transplant waiting list in the U.S. Diana Donnarumma, a 28-year-old Buffalo, New York resident, was on that list during her battle with Dysautonomia, a condition that affects one’s autonomic nervous system. Because of her condition, Donnarumma urgently needed an intestinal transplant. Luckily, a donor came through, and doctors saved the young woman’s life.

A year later, Donnarumma had the opportunity to reach out to the donor’s family, who were then given the option of whether they wanted to communicate with the donee or not. Daniel Donnelly Jr., the father of Donnarumma’s organ donor, Heather, accepted her letter and later spoke to Donnarumma on the phone. According to the Daily Mail, the conversation was so emotional that Donnarumma cried for two days as Donnelly Jr. told her about how wonderful his late daughter was.

After that phone call, Donnarumma took it upon herself to raise awareness about organ donation and to celebrate Heather’s life. When Donnelly Jr. and Donnarumma finally met in person, he told her that Heather had died in a car crash just before she married her fiance, which gave Donnarumma an idea.

The 28-year-old invited Donnelly Jr. to her wedding — but as more than just a simple guest. Knowing that he had missed his chance to walk Heather down the aisle, Donnarumma asked whether Donnelly Jr. would accompany her on her special day. Donnelly Jr. agreed, and on Aug. 13, 2021, they paid tribute to Heather by walking down the aisle hand in hand.

As the Daily Mail reported, Donnarumma fought back tears as she held Donnelly Jr.’s hand and walked down the aisle. Before reaching the altar, Donnarumma’s father hugged Donnelly Jr. and took his place for the final few steps.

“Once I saw him crying, I started crying,” Donnarumma told the publication.

“He said he was honored to walk me down the aisle and is so happy to have another daughter now,” she added.

The 28-year-old also told the Daily Mail that she hopes her story will show the “power of organ donation.”

“Death is a tragedy but transplant is a light of beauty in the midst of that tragedy. Transplant gave me the life that I never thought I would have,” she said.

In the U.S., around 17 people die daily waiting for a transplant, and every nine minutes, someone is added to the waiting list.

“Far too few people are donating organs to begin with, and far too few of the organs that have been donated are making their way to patients in waiting. Experts say that misconceptions about donor eligibility requirements and, in some states, cumbersome registration processes are preventing nearly half of those who support organ donation from becoming registered donors,” the New York Times argued in an August 2019 editorial.

In the same piece, The Times wrote that the “most promising way to end the organ shortage is by simply persuading more people to become organ donors.” 

According to the U.S. government’s Health Resources and Services Administration, each organ donation can save eight lives.

Diana Donnarumma, who married last August, was one of those lives.

apost.com

What do you think about Diana Donnarumma’s story? Are you a donor? Why or why not? Let us know — and be sure to pass this story along to your family and friends.