Martha Hunter, 22, Carmel, has been awarded an $8,000 educational scholarship from Indiana Donor Network Foundation.
A 2020 graduate of Carmel High School, Hunter is currently attending Purdue University majoring in biology. She has been accepted at Indiana University School of Medicine and plans on becoming a physician.
Indiana Donor Network Foundation established its scholarship fund in 2005 to provide educational scholarships for immediate family members of Indiana residents who are organ and tissue donors in addition to living organ donors, organ transplant recipients, people waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, and immediate family members of organ and tissue donors and transplant recipients.
Those selected as scholarship recipients often help raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation in saving and healing lives.
Other recipients this year included Edith Estridge of Chesterton, Ind. ($6,500), Katherine Gaff of Syracuse, Ind. and Halle Mitchell of Jacksonville, Fla., ($5,000 each), and Eric Casad of Terre Haute ($2,000).
In the past five years, Indiana Donor Network Foundation has awarded $114,000 in educational scholarships, which are made possible each year thanks to the generosity of contributions made by Indiana Donor Network employees and the general public.
In the essay portion of her scholarship application, Hunter shared her connection to organ donation story.
Last summer, Hunter returned to her family’s Carmel home one evening to find her brother Thomas choking. Thomas suffered from Coffin-siris syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects multiple body systems.
She helped her brother by performing the Heimlich maneuver and CPR until paramedics arrived and transported him to the hospital. But after four days on mechanical support, physicians revealed Thomas suffered irreversible brain damage due to a lack of oxygen during the incident.
The family immediately considered organ donation.
“Our prayers pivoted from hoping he would wake up to praying that his organs were viable to save the lives of others,” Hunter said. “Thomas ultimately gave gifts of life through donations of his liver, kidney, heart valve, corneas, and bone marrow.”
Hunter was able to engage with several physicians during her brother’s hospitalization, interactions which piqued her interest in medicine related to pulmonology and organ transplant surgery.
“I’m grateful for the lessons Thomas taught me in patience, creativity, and flexibility and humbled that my future career will put me in a position where I can educate recipient and donor patients and their families about organ donation,” she said. “Knowing that patient outcomes aren’t always positive, I’m passionate about helping patients and their families navigate grief with compassion and empathy when they are not.”
Despite age or medical history, anyone can sign up to be a donor at DonateLifeIndiana.org. Learn more about Indiana Donor Network.
Indiana Donor Network’s mission is to save and enhance the quality of life through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Its vision is to be a leader in organ and tissue recovery. Founded in 1987, the organization coordinates donation in 85 of the state’s 92 counties and serves transplant hospitals throughout the U.S.