Rylen Cowan’s Story

Rylen Cowan, who was always smiling, quickly earned the name, Smilin’ Rylen. His family remembers Rylen with everything orange, a color of happiness.

Rylen earned his angel wings on June 5, 2017, at only 13.5 months old, after a battle with bacterial meningitis. Little but mighty, Rylen did not leave this earth untouched. Thanks to the medical advances in organ donation, Rylen was able to save five lives.

Both Rylen’s kidneys went to adult men, Travis said. It’s a lesser-known fact that kidneys have a universal fit, he noted, and a child’s kidney can be given to an adult and vice versa. The valves that connect the organs are interchangeable. Rylen’s heart, they learned, went to a then 3-year-old boy named, Gannon.

In the summer of 2018, the Cowans met Gannon and his family, and Travis, Kristen and their son, Corbyn, were able to listen to Rylen’s heart inside Gannon’s chest.

“I know it sounds crazy, that you could hear anyone’s heartbeat and it would sound the same, but I could tell it was my own son’s heart. When it’s your own child, you just know,” she said.

Gannon, now age 9, and his family have since become a part of the Cowan family.

“Rylen is my hero,” Kristen said. “His story is still unfolding here on Earth.”

His parents, Kristen and Travis Cowan, later founded The Smilin’ Rylen Foundation whose mission is to raise awareness about organ donation and to assist families in crisis. Kristen says, “We are so proud of our sweet angel, Rylen, and how he as touched and inspired so many lives and continues to do so today.”

VIDEO: Kristen and Travis share Rylen’s story.

To learn more about Rylen and the Smilin’ Rylen Foundation’s important work, click here.