INDIANAPOLIS — Larry Graves knows his life’s purpose.
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“I’ve been singing all my life. It’s something I really enjoy. It’s something I feel God has placed in my heart and my mind to do for him," the 75-year-old said. “I enjoy what I do, and I know it came from him, so I want to use it to honor and glorify his name.”
A life-threatening disease in his lungs could’ve taken that all away.
Graves had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which caused his health to quickly decline. He was reliant on oxygen and struggling to make it across a room without losing his breath.
“The coughing and breathing issues, and having to be on oxygen. I had to take my oxygen tanks on stage with me," he said.
Graves decided to undergo double lung transplant surgery at IU Health Methodist Hospital in July 2025.
“When he finally decided that this is what he wanted to do, he wasn’t sure at first. [He’d say] I wanna sing again. Keep reminding me that this is why I did this," Larry's wife, Marcia Graves, said.
April is Donate Life Month, a time to bring awareness to the life-saving impact of organ donation.
The thing about being a donor, regardless of the organ, liver, kidneys, lungs, we can’t make these organs. We’re nowhere near that technological advancements. We’re really dependent on patients donating their organs after they pass," IU Health transplant surgeon Dr. Chadrick Denlinger said.
Graves is now eight months post-transplant.
He’s rebuilding his strength, practicing vocals at home and anxiously awaiting his return to Mt. Calvary Church.
“I’m ready to go back, as soon as my voice gets a little bit stronger," Graves said.
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Nico Pennisi is the In Your Community reporter for Downtown Indy. He joined WRTV in October 2022. His passion has always been telling the stories of people who often get overlooked. Share your story ideas and important issues with Nico by emailing him at nico.pennisi@wrtv.com.
