The vision Daniel Donnelly Jr. had of seeing his daughter Heather enter the church was never realized. But early this year, when Diana Donnarumma asked him to accompany her part way down the aisle on her wedding day, he had a perfect chance to imagine what it might have been like.
One of eight individuals who got an organ transplant from Heather when she passed away in a 2017 vehicle accident in Texas, just three days before her own wedding, said Donnarumma, who is one of them. She attempts to carry on her spirit as best she can every day, she added. She said, and she felt like she needed to, but also desired to, give her father the chance.
She attempted to hold back her emotions as Donnelly walked the 28-year-old down the aisle. He gave her to her dad, Glen, who walked her the rest of the way before delivering her to the groom, Conlan Kreher, halfway down the aisle. In regards to her ideal wedding at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens in Lancaster, Donnarumma said, it was truly all she could have wished for and more. It was packed with feelings, laughing, tears, and utter delight.
Donnarumma described the touching moment she shared with her organ donor’s father in an interview. Before Dan and I walked down the aisle, she experienced stomach butterflies. He sobbed when he first saw her in the wedding gown. She began weeping as soon as she saw him crying, she stated.
The couple said he suffers with the agony of Heather’s loss and misses her so much. He expressed his joy at having a second daughter and stated it was a pleasure to have walked her down the aisle. She informed Dan that Heather was present with them in spirit and that she was happier than ever. They gave each other a hug before leaving. But she experienced every feeling described in the book.
She was thrilled, worried, and heartbroken about Heather, but was also incredibly glad that she would soon wed the love of my life. She wishes individuals could understand the importance of organ donation. She wouldn’t be here today if Heather hadn’t made the choice she did. Transplantation is a source of beauty in the midst of the sadness of death.
She went on, she now has the life she never dreamed and would have thanks to transplant. These choices are crucial. She implored everyone to give this some real thought. When your family is mourning, don’t make decisions for them. Donnarumma also discussed her health problems, which she had been having since childhood, and how, in the beginning of 2016, she was given the diagnosis of gastroparesis, a severe digestive disorder that impairs the stomach muscles’ natural spontaneous movement and their capacity to effectively push food deeper into the digestive tract. She was confined to a life of intravenous feeding due to the disease, and when Donnelly died in 2017 after receiving a transplant that might have saved her.
Donnelly’s small intestine and the right side of her large intestine were surgically removed while linked to Donnarumma’s during the eight-hour procedure. Although the young woman still experiences postoperative vomiting and nausea and must take anti-rejection medicine and steroids for the rest of her life, she reports that things are much better than they were before the transplant. She remarked that she was so mentally and emotionally worn out, but now she has a future. She truly experienced the affection of her friends and family. Without a future, she would not have one today. Without Heather, she wouldn’t be getting married.
According to sources, Heather Donnelly passed away after sustaining serious wounds in a car accident. In October 2017, she was her route to a buddy’s birthday celebration when the awful event occurred. The 26-year-old wanted to work with kids and has a master’s degree in counseling from Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Many children attended her burial. The sheer number of young children arriving from childcare centers and other locations was truly astounding. It was very incredible, remembered her father. Donnelly said the following while discussing being asked to accompany Donnarumma down the aisle that when she enquired about doing it, he felt quite humbled. He’ll never get the opportunity.
Organ Donor's Dad Walks Recipient Down AisleAfter an organ transplant saved her life, Diana invited her donor's father to walk her down the aisle 😭❤️
Posted by Happily on Thursday, 16 September 2021
