18/06/2025
Life is a Gift
By Chantelle Pence, Family Services Coordinator
Sometimes you entertain angels, unaware. I felt that way after leaving a coffee shop in Anchorage, where I visited with an organ recipient who told me his story. In 2016 George Oviatt received a liver transplant that saved his life and gave him more time on earth with his best buddy, Janice, the woman he married. In 2024 George lost his wife to cancer, and she became a donor who gave someone the gift of sight. Sitting across the table from him, I was overcome with love. I couldn’t help but wonder if invisible others may have been sitting with us.
George carried within him the Gift of Life. And tremendous gratitude for all who was a part of his journey. He spoke of those who stood beside him during his years of liver failure, as his health declined and he lost cognitive abilities. He explained the process that was set into motion when he got the call that a liver was available. “I cannot describe the feeling…” He tried to put into words the feeling of love and relief, at knowing his life on earth would be extended. “It was the most wonderful thing.”
George went on to talk about what he experienced in the years after his transplant. How he got to have more Alaskan adventures with Janice. They met decades ago, as surveyors for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. “She was the only female surveyor on my team!” He said proudly. Later, she went on to climb Denali. They had a son. They enjoyed kayaking.
When Janice’s health declined, and it was near her time of death, they relied on the help of Hospice. “It was really something to see people so compassionate and caring.” He said. Tears came to his eyes as he recounted the gentle and kind way his wife was treated by the Hospice team. When life left her body, Janice became a donor. Her body was put in the care of Life Alaska Donor Services. That’s how George and I met.
Life Alaska Donor Services is a chain in the link of professional transplant services. We rely on our referral partners to notify us when there is potential for donation. In the case of Janice, the health care team at Providence Hospice contacted us. We have less than 24 hours to assemble a team and recover Gifts of Life that are life saving and life changing. The Gifts are sent on to others in the chain of transplant services, where they are processed for transplant patients to receive.
Janice died on February 9th 2024. A year later, Life Alaska received a letter of gratitude from a transplant recipient who regained her sight, thanks to Janice’s donation. I called George to inform him of the letter. To make a call like this can be rather precarious, as I am wading into someone’s personal season of grief. But when George heard the news of why I was calling, he expressed joy! He told me that he, also, was a recipient. It was a full circle moment. And I am humbled to be a part of it.
Sometimes we entertain angels…
