Before giving up (indeed you are correct that whether a ticket is changeable/refundable, it's not transferable), take inventory of all insurance which you might have just because things do happen.

1. Did you buy trip-specific insurance for this trip? Read the terms. Some cover only medical emergencies. Some cover anything and some cover job change policies.

2. Does the credit card you used have any coverage?

3. Does your current or future employer have any coverage (some have coverage which applies to all travel, not just business)

4. Does your homeowners, renters, auto have anything in it.

As a general aside, insurance is generally quite cheap and given that none of us can predict what will happen, it's always worth it. Between appendectomies, broken legs, new jobs and the like, there are a lot of variables.