Bride Receives Life-Saving Organ Transplant, Asks Late Donor’s Father to Walk Her Down Aisle
28-year-old Dianna Donnarumma of Buffalo, New York needed a life-saving intestinal transplant as she was in intestinal failure due to the progression of Dysautonomia, also known as autonomic dysfunction.
Her donor, Heather, died in a car accident in 2017, just days before her own wedding to her fiancé, Beau.
One year post-transplant, Diana was able to reach out to her donor’s family, who were able to accept or deny the request. The letter went through Diana’s transplant center and finally made it to Heather’s father, Daniel — he accepted the letter.
Diana and Daniel later spoke by phone, which brought Diana to tears when she learned what happened and how amazing of a person her donor was.
In the years since speaking to Daniel, Diana has made an effort to raise awareness about Heather’s life and organ donation through her social media pages.
Daniel and Diana eventually met in person in Illinois, where Daniel lives and where Diana learned more about Heather. Knowing that Daniel, a single parent, was never able to walk his daughter down the aisle, Diana asked Daniel if he would walk her down the aisle on her big day. Daniel accepted.
On Aug. 13, 2021, Daniel cried when he first saw Diana in her wedding dress. He then walked her down the aisle before passing her over to Diana’s biological father, Glen, who walked her the rest of the way down the aisle to her husband, Conlan Kreher.
“Once I saw him crying, I started crying,” said Diana. “He misses Heather so much and struggles with the pain of her absence. He said he was honored to walk me down the aisle and is so happy to have another daughter now.
“I hope people can realize the power of organ donation. Without Heather’s decision, I would not be here today.”
Image source: Daily Mail
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