Ivan Days does not fit the profile of a typical Meals on Wheels client.

At six feet, nine inches tall, the former college basketball standout strikes an impressive physical presence. And at 53 years old, he’s well aware his younger looks might cause people to question why he’s receiving healthy, home-delivered meals typically reserved for seniors.

But looks can be deceiving.

The fact is Ivan is a diabetic who had an injury resulting in amputation in July of 2000. In January of 2022, he went on dialysis and is currently navigating kidney transplant options. As a result, he qualified for and began receiving Meals on Wheels. Senior Citizens, Inc., the official coastal Georgia partner of Meals on Wheels America, provides both meals and wellness checks through the program.    

“Losing my leg was traumatic,” he says matter-of-factly. “I tried to set myself up mentally, but it was life-changing. I didn’t have a prosthetic for eight months, and everything was a chore. I’m so happy I’m past that point now.” 

Although Ivan is relieved that time is a distant memory, he admits it’s been “one thing after another” and Meals on Wheels came into his life at just the right moment.

“I live alone, and there’s no one cooking regular meals,” he says. “I thought Meals on Wheels would be bland, but I was surprised. I love the variety of meats and vegetables. My favorite is the roasted chicken, and of course the spaghetti, but I even like the cold cut plate.”

But more than the meals, Ivan appreciates the friendly faces bringing him the meals.

“I have a few regular people bringing me my meals, and I love my regulars. At Christmas, one lady gave me a Christmas card with $20 in it, and someone else brought me an Easter basket last spring,” he says, smiling with the memory. “They truly love what they’re doing, and it shows when they bring me the meal.”

Ivan, who’s originally from Savannah, attended Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri on a basketball scholarship. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management before returning home.

“I was the first one in my family to go to college and graduate,” he notes. “I moved back to Savannah in 2000 because there was too much snow in Missouri. I worked in sales for a while, and excelled in that. You name it, I’ve sold it: TVs, furniture, cell phones, cars.”

Ivan says a brief stint as a truck driver led to a leg injury, then to the amputation of his left leg. He currently is not working and says he could wait as long as six years for a kidney. Part of his challenge is arranging travel to and lodging in Atlanta for a transplant. Without that, he cannot even get on the kidney transplant list managed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). For kidneys, matches are made based on a combination of blood-type and antibody matching, time with kidney failure, and a few other factors that give people priority on the list (including being a child or being a past live kidney donor). Kidney transplant is not a cure for kidney disease, but it can help people live longer and with a better quality of life.

“I won’t lie; it’s been tough,” he says. And even with a big family – one brother, two sisters, six children and five grandkids, he says he doesn’t have a lot of support. “My siblings and kids are busy with their families. Part of getting older is accepting that you have to do so much on your own.”

That’s why he says Meals on Wheels, which delivers five hot meals Monday through Friday to him, has been such a blessing.

“You never know when you’ll need it, and I’m happy to become part of the Meals on Wheels family,” he says. “Without it, I’d be eating frozen meals or nothing at all.”