Become An Organ Donor

THE DRESS AND THE FATHER

On the day I found The Dress, I stopped short at my own reflection as two important facts overwhelmed me. I knew I was looking at the most beautiful, most perfect dress I’d ever seen. And the greatest man I’d ever known—my father—would never see me in it. His soul was far gone. So many blessings in my life, but I wasn’t gonna get that one.

I’m the oldest of three headstrong daughters. We were his house full of women with “loud voices and even louder opinions.” That’s what he always used to say. But I know we secretly made him proud when we used our voices and stood for what was right. You see, my father taught me how the world works. And I’ll never forget how he told me that no matter what happens, love was the greatest power of all. “Yes, daddy.”

“No, no,” he used to say. “When you finally fall in love, you’ll understand exactly what I mean.” But there I was…so in love I wanted to spend my life with someone, I had found the perfect husband, found the perfect Dress…and I was empty.

They say he never knew what happened when the car came at him from the other lane. They did all they knew to save him, but nothing could keep him with us. We all arrived to help Mom make the final decision, and it was there—in that hospital room—when we discovered something we never knew about him. Since learning how to drive, he had always been an organ donor.

“Because souls go to heaven,” he had told our mother. “My organs and body won’t.”

We never could have guessed how the generosity of his one simple decision would lead to saving so many lives. But we watched it. We witnessed it. We lived it.

And now I was the first of his daughters to walk down the aisle…alone. I’d been given all the options and nothing felt right. But this Bride, like her father, is also full of surprises. Without a word to anyone, I became a secret agent on a mission. Phone calls and letters, followed by secret meetings to make the arrangements. I discovered there is a powerful network behind these donor miracles, protecting identities and keeping those who wish it to remain anonymous. My months of wedding preparation included my ultimate quest to include, in some way, the man who made me, the man who raised me. The man I’ve always wanted so much to make proud with my life.

And so, on the day, wearing The Dress—I surprised them all. I walked down that aisle with a stranger on my arm. I could hear whispers of confusion at who he could possibly be. And then it was asked, “Who gives this woman to be married?” The stranger placed my open hand on his chest and turned for everyone to hear as he said, “Her father’s heart. Her father’s heart does.”

And it was there, in that moment between us, where I felt the profound wonder that only comes from a second chance at life. My Father was right. There is no greater power. There is no greater gift than being a donor. My father’s beautiful heart walked me down that aisle. Because souls live on in heaven, while our hearts give life on earth.