‘Listen as long as you want:’ Lung recipient to mom of donor

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

Right along a US Highway in Mishawaka, Ind. there’s a roadside tribute to an 18-year-old who died in a motorcycle accident. It might not mean much to passersby but to the young man’s mother, the sign represents a day, a time, a moment that changed her life forever. It also represents the beginning of a new life.

Vishal, Theodore “Teddy” Soni was a 2023 graduate of Penn High School. He enjoyed working with the Building Trades Program and went on to Ball State University where he planned to pursue that interest with a career in construction management.

On May 3, 2024, that all changed. Teddy’s accident happened at the corner of Bittersweet Road and McKinley Highway – right near his high school, the Subway Gas Station where he worked, and his home church.

It was 11:01 at night when Teddy’s mother, Pam Soni, received a call from a distraught friend of Teddy’s. Soni was six states away attending the college graduation of Teddy’s older brother from the University of Maine. Teddy also had an older sister attending Ball State.

“My son and I flew home not knowing exactly what to expect, just that Teddy was in the trauma center,” said Soni, an ER nurse. When she reunited with her youngest son, she learned something she did not know. “The most amazing part of all of this is I did not know Teddy was an organ donor. He made the decision by himself when he got his license at the age of 16.”

His mom, and others who knew Teddy well were not surprised by Teddy’s decision.

He spent his life giving and helping others. When he was 6-years-old Teddy asked for a garden wagon on his birthday. He grew his own vegetables in the family backyard and shared the produce with the local food pantry. Later, he asked for a kitchen mixer so he could bake for others, then a smoker so he could share his grilled meat. He wanted a power washer so he could clean the homes of loved ones. He often cut grass for elderly family members without so much as a nudge.

He was known as a master on the grill, making juicy steaks and his famous buffalo chicken dip for his friends on poker night. His pumpkin bread was a labor of love and a favorite among his friends and co-workers.

On May 7, 2024, there was an “honor walk,” a hospital ceremony recognizing Teddy’s final wishes. During his funeral on May 15, his family and friends knew Teddy’s life would continue, through his organ donation. He was able to save five lives and impacted countless others through tissue donation.

One of those lives was Kevin Sommers, 61 of Kokomo, Ind. For six years, Sommers battled severe COPD and needed a double lung transplant. He is in the care of IU Health pulmonologists, Dr. Mrunal G. Patel and Dr. David Roe, and transplant coordinator Tonya Isaacs. Sommers was listed for transplant on May 6, 2024, and two days later he received the call. His transplant surgeon was IU Health Dr. Chadrick E. Denlinger.

At the time, Sommers, a retired semi driver, knew nothing about his donor.

Now, however, he says: “It’s crazy how much we have in common. Teddy loved to garden, fish and cook. He liked to wear cowboy hats and boots. He liked carpentry and I just remodeled my bathroom, kitchen and laundry room. His interests are my interests,” said Sommers, married 17 years and the father of four adult children.

He learned these commonalities when he worked through the Indiana Donor Network (IDN) to connect with Teddy’s family. Over time, Sommers and Teddy’s mother signed papers through IDN expressing interest in communicating in person.

“Three months to the day of Teddy’s funeral I met Kevin for the first time,” said Soni, who drove to Kokomo to meet Sommers and his wife. The next meeting, Sommers came to Soni’s home and visited the “Angel of Hope Garden” where a brick rests in Teddy’s memory. He also saw Teddy’s high school, his church, and houses he constructed through his building trades program.

Soni brought along her nursing stethoscope to listen to her son’s healthy lungs. Sommers told her: “Listen as long as you want.”

At Sommers’ bronchoscopy appointment at IU Health, he brought a guest. Teddy’s mom came along.

“At first they said only one person could go back and Kevin’s wife told me to go,” said Soni. “Dr. Roe said in all the years he’s been practicing he’s never met a donor family. Knowing you are with someone who has an eternal connection to you through someone you loved and lost is indescribable to me. It’s a gift from God. We’re like brother sister now,” said Soni, who is the same age as Sommers.

Both Sommers and Soni said their meeting has prompted them to advocate for organ donation. They have already booked speaking engagements though the Indiana Donor Network. And in his home, Sommers has a collection of framed photos of Teddy, and he wears a wristband, “Teddy Strong.”

“It’s hard to put into words. I’m thankful to be alive but on Teddy’s side, they lost someone they love,” said Sommers. “I want to honor his legacy and part of that is knowing his family.”