HANCOCK COUNTY — When Penny Givan first met Annie Travis in a small group at Harvest Church in Greenfield, she never could have guessed the virtual stranger would one day give her one of her kidneys.
Givan, who lives in Greenfield, received Travis’ kidney in 2021 after the first transplant she received 20 years prior started to fail.
Givan’s brother, Dan Bradburn, was the first to donate a kidney that would save her life back in 2002.
Today, Givan is a walking, talking billboard for the the gift of life.
She’s spent the past 17 years volunteering for the Indiana Donor Network and serving on Team Indiana at the Transplant Games of America — an Olympic-style event held every two years.
Anna Coy of Wilkinson is also an avid Indiana Donor Network volunteer, but she’s never donated or received an organ.
In 2017, her husband Adam would donate tissue after dying of a heart attack at the age of 39.
Three years later her father, Larry Gorman of Carthage, donated tissue after succumbing to heart complications in 2020 at the age of 72.
At the time of their passing the two men, who had both checked “yes” to being an organ donor on their driver’s license, were evaluated for tissue, cornea, tendon, and other types of tissue donation — “anything that could be gifted to another person to improve their quality of life,” said Coy.
“I know that Adam’s corneas actually both have ended up in Egypt, which is my favorite thing,” she said.
“You never know where you’re going to end up. Adam’s seeing Egypt right now, and I’m jealous,” she joked.
April is recognized as National Donate Life Month each year, and Coy couldn’t be prouder of her late father and husband for impacting so many lives with their decision to give the gift of life.
Between 300 and 400 people have sent her letters thanking her for her husband’s selfless donation.
Coy said her husband, who graduated from Eastern Hancock High School in 1997, had a heart of gold but couldn’t kick the tobacco addiction that would cause the heart issues that would take his life.
“His passing is what catapulted me into my career,” said Coy, who works as an addictions counselor.
“I started with tobacco cessation and moved on from there. (Adam) told he needed to stop smoking when he had two (heart) stints put in at 35 and he stopped,” she said, but he’d eventually resume the habit.
Coy said she was in “a really dark spot” after his death when she started receiving letters from the Indiana Donor Network offering support in her grief.
“They kept sending me things saying, ‘This is how we work through our grief. How can we help you?’” she recalled.
In 2019 Coy got involved with the network’s Donor Family Council for support. “They helped me through a really dark time,” she said.
Coy took comfort in knowing that even though her father and husband were gone, they were changing so many lives with their gift of life.
“Honoring them both through (volunteering and advocating) is the least I could do. It just carries on their legacy of how selfless they both were,” she said.
Givan is also proud to serve as an ambassador for the Indiana Donor Network, sharing her personal journey with organ donation to encourage others to register to become donors themselves.
“We share our stories as to why we feel it’s an important thing to do,” she said.
She loves spreading awareness by participating at the Transplant Games of America, which takes place every two years somewhere in the United States to celebrate donors, recipients and the lives changed by organ donation.
Givan has cycled and played badminton and pickleball at the games, and will also play darts at this year’s games in Birmingham, Alabama in July.
She’s also participated in the world games in Australia and plans to do so in Germany next year, helping to spread the story of survival around the world.
Seeing a stadium full of survivors is life changing, she said.
“It’s unreal and humbling. It’s nice to know you’re not alone. You realize there’s a whole community just like you who can support each other. Each person and each athlete represents their own community, their own family, and then they all have a story with their donor or sometimes multiple donors,” said Givan, 55.
STEPPING UP
Givan’s first kidney transplant was in 2002 at the age of 33.
She developed kidney issues three years prior when a blood clot in her renal artery left her right kidney non-functioning, which weakened her left kidney over the years. An abdominal surgery took a further toll on the working kidney, which landed her on dialysis and the waiting list for a new one.
Givan’s older brother stepped up to donate as a living donor and was a match, but she had to wait six months to get well enough for the transplant.
All went well, but transplanted kidneys typically last only 15 to 20 years.
Givan started experiencing problems right around the 15-year mark and ended up back on the waiting list for a new kidney.
That’s around the time she met Annie Travis in a small group at church. Even though they had only known each other a few months, Travis didn’t hesitate to step up when she found out Givan needed a kidney.
“I had already decided before I met her that the next person I met that needed my kidney was going to get it,” said Travis, 59, who was 57 at the time of the transplant.
The McCordsville woman had seen a news story about the need for donors before she heard of Givan’s plight.
She said her Christian faith that teaches to love thy neighbor as yourself also played into her decision.
“I believe it was the right decision. I have never regretted it at all,” said Travis, who said the physical discomfort and recovery time were manageable.
“I remember being in some pain, but I had a really different attitude towards that pain because I knew that this was right. It felt very right,” she said.
Now when Travis sees Givan at bible study, “It’s the best feeling in the world when I see how well she’s doing,” she said.
Travis said she’s healthier today with one kidney than she was before since she was forced to lose 80 pounds to be eligible to donate, a process that took several months.
“Because I only have one kidney I have to keep that weight off,” said Travis, who now works with the elderly as a certified nursing assistant.
Givan is grateful every day to Travis and her brother Dan for giving her the gift of life.
“I feel for all the people who pass away waiting” for a transplant, she said.
That’s why she’ll continue to advocate through the Indiana Donor Network, encouraging people to consider being living donors, or to simply check the box on their driver’s license indicating they’re willing to donate should the time ever come.
“That decision can change lives,” Givan said.
Coy, whose father and husband both became donors, will never forget when she was 16 years old and her mother came home from work at a healthcare center talking about the importance of organ donation.
“That really stuck with me at 16 years old. I thought if something happens to me maybe I can help someone else,” said Coy, who encouraged her husband to check the box on his driver’s license when they married.
“In 2017 it was time for him to renew his driver’s license and he came home saying, ‘I’m a donor! I know my heart’s not that great, but they can have everything else,’” she recalled.
Less than three months later, he suffered a fatal heart attack and his decision was impacting hundreds of lives, including those who received skin grafts created from tissue he donated when he died.
“He knew the decision to donate was important, and that it can help so many other people,” Coy said.
For information one how to register to give the gift of life, visit IndianaDonorNetwork.org.
Anne Travis, left, and Penny Givan are pictured together at Harvest Church in Hancock County. The pair met at church and attend bible study together. In 2021, Travis donated a kidney to Givan. Thursday, April 24, 2024.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
