As life partners dedicated to serving others, Janice Langbehn and Lisa Marie Pond fostered 25 children, legally adopting four of them by 2005. In February 2007, Lisa, then 39 years old, was with Janice and three of the children in Miami for a family cruise when she suddenly collapsed. She suffered a cerebral aneurysm which went undetected for years. Due to the life partners' non-married status, Janice and her children were prohibited from seeing Lisa in her final hours, leading to a directive from President Obama that hospitals allow gay and lesbian family members access to their hospitalized partners. Fortunately, Lisa had made it clear that her organs could be used to help others. "As a donor family member, I am proud to be just a small piece of Lisa's legacy," Janice affirmed.

Janice's Story

Janice Langbehn and her life partner, Lisa Marie Pond, committed themselves to each other in a ceremony of Holy Union in October of 1991. From this moment on, they dedicated their lives to helping others.

On a Friday in early 1992, Janice and Lisa welcomed their first foster child, becoming the first openly gay foster parents in their county in Washington State. They were warned that Rose, 14, had been in countless foster homes, and that she would likely run away before the weekend was over. Rose did not run, and, in fact, stayed over four years and graduated from high school.

Following Rose's graduation, Lisa wanted to foster more children. So from 1995 to 2007, Janice and Lisa fostered 25 children, legally adopting four of them: Michael, Danielle, David and Katelyn. All four of these children had significant special needs, having been exposed in utero to drugs, alcohol and HIV. None of these challenges daunted them. In fact, Lisa gave up her career as a social worker to stay home with their children, so she could spend time in their classrooms and take them to endless appointments with doctors and specialists.

As the children grew, Lisa was known to always have "room for one more." Child Protective Services often called Lisa with a sick baby to care for until a relative could be found. Many times, Janice would come home to find not only their own four adopted children but also one or more other children who had joined the family on that day.

In February 2007, Lisa, then 39 years old, was with Janice and three of the children in Miami for a family cruise when she suddenly collapsed. She suffered a cerebral aneurysm which went undetected for years. Fortunately, Lisa had always considered her body just a vessel for her soul, and had made it clear that her organs could be used to help others, that is what must happen. Donating Lisa's organs would be one of the easiest decisions Janice would make in their 18 years together.

Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency and their staff supported Lisa, Janice and the children every step of the way, answering questions and providing resources. However, due to the life partners' non-married status, Janice and her children were prohibited from seeing Lisa in her final hours, leading to a directive from President Obama that hospitals allow gay and lesbian family members access to their hospitalized partners.

"Without a doubt the absolute best part of donating Lisa's organs," said Janice, "has been the ability to get to know her heart recipient, Jerry," who she calls "the keeper of Lisa's heart." When Janice met Jerry for the first time, "I could hear Lisa's heart in this wonderful man's body," she says. After hugging him and talking non-stop with him about Lisa and his own kids and grandkids, Janice felt as if she'd known Jerry for a lifetime. Jerry and his wife, Maxine, have now "adopted" Lisa's children as their own grandchildren.

"Our families come from very different ideological backgrounds, but organ donation transcends all of that," says Janice. "As a donor family member, I am proud to be just a small piece of Lisa's legacy."