Have you ever seen someone do something that was so classy or gracious that it was truly inspirational?
In this week’s Word of Encouragement, we are featuring the story of bride Diana Donnarumma Kreher walking down the aisle with a guest she didn’t expect to invite, but one that made all the difference: her donor’s dad.
Diana would have likely never been able to walk down the aisle to marry the love of her life had it not been for the organ transplant she received. Desperately ill, and with hundreds of thousands of people on the donor transplant waiting list, her future looked bleak.
But around the same time, Heather Donnelly passed away after a car accident and miraculously, Diana was able to get her organ transplant because Heather’s small and large intestines were a perfect match for the transplant that saved Diana’s life. The transplant was a complete success, and Diana stated that: “Every day, I live my life to try to honor this amazing person who saved my life.”
So how did Diana choose to honor Heather? By asking her dad, Daniel Donnelly, to walk her down the aisle when she got married. It was her way of thanking him for the gift of life that he and Heather bestowed upon her.
As it turns out, Diana and Heather also had many other things in common. Like Diana, Heather was engaged and soon to be married.
Reading about how unselfishly the Donnelly family acted when faced with this terrible tragedy brought me to tears. As it turns out, seven other individuals lives were saved and other families were spared the grief of losing someone so special to them.
This article also reminded me of walking my own daughter Kelley down the aisle and the significance of this gesture. Even though Daniel would never have the chance to walk his own daughter down the aisle, Diana blessed him by asking him to play a very special role in her big day.
When Diana and Daniel got to the altar, Daniel and Diana’s dad embraced and everyone in attendance understood the significance of the event. Having been blessed by Diana’s gracious and classy act, Daniel reacted in a very classy and gracious manner:
“I had a great time at the wedding. It was a blast. I was watching Diana at the dance floor, dancing it up. I could picture my daughter out there doing the same thing. You guys are as loving as my daughter was — she’d be very proud of you two… I know she’s looking down right now, she’s very happy. Diana is a sweet girl, she’s got a heart of gold, calls me dad. She says, ‘I’ve got two dads now.’ I was very honored.”
But Diana made sure that the guest of honor - in spirit - would also be recognized. She went the extra mile by including photos of Heather at the wedding reception so that everyone would know the incredible gift that Heather had given her.
This week I attended an outstanding virtual webcast with Harvard Professor Tal Ben-Shahar. He teaches top rated classes on happiness and resiliency at Harvard. During the webcast he highlighted that paradoxically, while being unhappy is a part of being happy, we can increase our happiness quotient by being “present” and not taking things for granted, and by affirming and extending grace to others.
In the Gospel of John, we are reminded that God so loved the world, that He gave His Son so that we may have eternal life. In this story, with Heather’s passing, the Donnelly family gave Diana the gift of life. And Diana showed how receiving a gift with grace and gratefulness can extend it to others around us.
