‘Larger than life’: After son’s tragic death, family honors his wishes to be organ donor
Joy Armstrong holds a photograph of her son, Robbie, who died suddenly from a stroke after having heart surgery in 2023. Robbie had requested to be an organ donor, and his parents respected his wishes. His kidneys saved two lives, his corneas restored sight to two people and other tissues healed several others. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Something so precious had been taken away.
Joy and Brad Armstrong were struggling to process their loss. Their 24-year-old son, Robert, had come to the Franciscan Health Indianapolis to repair a congenital heart defect he’d lived with throughout his life. The surgery was successful, but a freak blood clot during recovery caused a stroke, which killed him.
In the midst of their grief, officials approached with a question — would they consider organ donation.
“You find out in that moment that your child is not coming back to you, and someone from the Indiana Donor Network, who is so gracious, comes to you and turns a piece of paper around that has your child’s signature, saying your son has chosen to be an organ donor, would you honor his wishes?” said Joy Armstrong. “You’re just numb.”
The Armstrongs did honor his wishes. Two years after Robert’s death, the Armstrongs want to use their experience to emphasize the importance of organ donation. Through his donation, Robert provided kidneys that saved two lives, corneas that restored sight to two people and tissues to help heal several others.
Even in their loss, the Armstrong family recognizes God’s plan for their son, and his selfless decision that rippled to impact so many others.
“He was larger than life. Everything he seemed to touch seemed bigger and better than we ever imagined. God blessed us with a perfect baby boy, and for his life to not mean anything would have been awful,” Joy Armstrong said. “It was humbling as a parent to see someone turn that paper around to see my child had made a good decision, and then for other people’s lives to benefit because of Robbie.”
Robert — “Robbie” as he was more commonly known — was the Armstrong’s first child. He had a wealth of interests. Robbie was an Eagle Scout, and loved to do leatherwork and fish. His family had a farm, which he worked on throughout his childhood and into adulthood.
Through his school, Southport High School, didn’t have an FFA program, he joined the one at Franklin Community High School, earning awards and eventually an American Degree from the organization.
After graduating from Southport in 2016, Robbie went on to Purdue University, where he earned a degree in agronomy and crop sciences in 2020. He returned to his family’s farm, where he also started his own beekeeping business, Armstrong and Family Apiary.
In addition, Robbie used beekeeping to help others through Hives for Heroes, a group that uses beekeeping to help veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
“He was such a great kid — one in a million,” Joy Armstrong said.
From the time Robbie was born, his family had known he suffered from a congenital heart defect. But it never impacted his health or slow him down; even right up until his surgery in 2023, he was active on the farm and in his other activities.
But his parents suggested he should see a doctor while he was still on their health insurance. That visit revealed the need for surgery to fix the defect.
“His body had done a good job of building a work-around,” Joy Armstrong said.
The surgery went very well, she said. But the formation of a blood clot — something doctors tell them had a 1% chance of happening — went to his brain, and he never recovered. Robbie died on Jan. 14, 2023.
“It’s just hard when you walk into the hospital in perfect health, have a great procedure and then not come home. It’s just really rough,” Joy Armstrong said.
The family was hesitant about organ donation at first. But once they saw that he had made this choice to be a donor, they changed their mind.
One person can save up to eight lives through organ donation and help heal 75 lives through tissue donation. Currently, in the U.S., more than 103,000 people are awaiting lifesaving organ transplants, including more than 1,300 Hoosiers.
The need for more lifesaving organ donors continues as 17 people die daily waiting for a lifesaving organ, according to Indiana Donor Network, the federally designated organ recovery organization that coordinates organ, tissue and cornea donation in Indiana and transplantation throughout the U.S..
But more and more people are committing themselves to donation. Organ donation has trended up since 2016, reaching a high point last year when Indiana Donor Network transplanted 1,388 donated organs in 2024, saving 1,216 lives. In addition, 1,592 tissue and cornea donors resulted in 17,360 tissues recovered by Indiana Donor Network to help save and heal lives and restore sight.
“As we look ahead to 2025, we are setting even higher goals, knowing that we have not yet reached the full extent of the impact we can make,” said Kellie Tremain, president and CEO of Indiana Donor Network. “We will continue to push boundaries and find new ways to save and heal more lives than ever before.”
The organization also provides after-care for families, grief support and counseling. The Armstrongs found solace in their compassion and care, Joy Armstrong said.
“This organization came into us, and perfect strangers that we didn’t know welcomed our family with open arms and helped us through one of the hardest days of our lives,” she said. “They have truly been there for everything. And they’ve never stopped remembering Robbie.”
Since their son’s death, the Armstrongs have heard from many of the people whose lives were saved by the donation. Those messages never stop being impactful.
They want to share their story to help others see how important donation can be.
“(Robbie) is greatly missed. But for us not to have anything to show, for us not to be able to give back to others, we couldn’t do that,” Joy Armstrong said. “I’m blessed that I got to be his mom for 24 years.”
AT A GLANCE
Organ donation
What kinds of organ donation are there?
Living donation: Kidney and liver patients who can receive a living donor transplant can receive an organ much sooner, often in less than a year.
Deceased donation: Deceased organ, tissue and eye donation is the process of giving an organ (or part of an organ), tissue or eye at the time of the donor’s death, for transplantation to another person. Deceased donors can provide kidneys, liver, heart and valves, lungs, pancreas, intestines, bones, veins, corneas, islet cells and tendons.
Vascularized Composite Allografts: These procedures involve transplant of multiple structures that may include skin, bone, muscles, blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue. The most commonly known type of these are for hand and face transplants.
Who can be an organ donor? Anyone. There are no age or race restrictions for donation, and regardless of medical history, you can sign up to be a donor.
To register to be an organ donor, go to donatelifeindiana.org/show-your-support/sign-up/ and fill out the required form. People also can register to be a donor at any Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles location.
To inquire about living donation, go to iuhealth.org/find-medical-services/living-kidney-donation or iuhealth.org/find-medical-services/living-organ-donation.
Source: Donate Life Indiana
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