12/19/2025
"I have a special relationship with my identical twin sister Jess. Inseparable since birth, we share an unspoken bond of support and the ability to hold space for each other.
I remember when George Gasper and his three sons came into our life and began to shape Jess’s world. I remember celebrating with the Gaspers in June of 2018 when we surprised our family with the news of baby boy Emmett (now 6 years old). And then in August of 2018 getting the very early morning phone call while Jess and George were driving to Bergan Mercy to meet their son, Josh’s, LifeFlight after a motorcycle accident near Leigh, Nebraska.
While George and Josh’s Mom were taking care of Josh in the ICU, Jess was taking care of everyone else. Family and friends began pouring into the waiting room, needing to be near Josh, wanting to show their love with presence. They filled the waiting room with hope for a miraculous recovery. Jess made sure each person heard the latest information, had food in their stomachs, cupcakes/treats for the ICU staff, a long hug, and most importantly - a hand to hold. Jess knew how to navigate the people-part of the ICU.
After a difficult four days, it was determined that Josh could not sustain life, and the process of organ donation began. On his 23rd birthday, Josh saved five lives by donating his heart, kidneys, pancreas, and liver. He also improved the lives of 118 others with life-improving donations of blood vessels, bone tissue, and skin grafts.
Jess later described that week as going through war and she was in the trenches alongside the Gaspers. It not only signaled to everyone in George’s world that his soon-to-be-wife loved him deeply, but also that he wanted to spend the rest of his life returning that love to her.
I, of course, already knew all of this. It’s Jess – the amazing, loving, and thoughtful Jess. What I didn’t know was how much I would learn about grief. I learned that sometimes words aren’t needed, that just sitting alongside someone and keeping space with them is the most meaningful thing I can do. Sometimes grief looks like tears and sometimes it looks like laughter, but it’s always presence. Always.
When they found that Josh’s recovery was not meant to be, they began working with Live On Nebraska and a new kind of hope surrounded them. Josh lives on in others. And while it will always be an impossible situation, his impact brings the Gaspers peace.
Jess and George now volunteer for Live On Nebraska, speaking to nurses, students, and hospital staff about the impact of organ donation. They understand Josh's continued impact on the world – it’s something they call his enduring legacy.
We share Josh’s story, often with tears, always with love. I understand the importance of telling family my wishes to make a positive impact through the gift of donation and I encourage others to register. We can all be so fortunate to have an enduring legacy like Josh Gasper." - Jennifer Ankerson, donor family member
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