Man who gave part of liver to little girl has some good karma coming his way

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

NILES

Life has been anything but normal since David Denovchek of Niles donated part of his liver to a little girl in a Pittsburgh hospital May 27, potentially saving her life.

For one, his story of selflessness has made him one of the most recognizable people in the community. Most people can’t imagine the sacrifice he made – undergoing major surgery and accepting that he would have three to four months of sometimes-painful recovery ahead before he could resume his normal activities.

And, Denovchek did have fears, such as what would happen if some unexpected problem arose while he was laid up and unable to address it himself? Transmission goes out? Flooded basement?

One of those fears became reality Tuesday, when he noticed that water was leaking through the ceiling fan in the bathroom of his house. He had it checked by two roofing companies, who both told him the roof needed to be replaced – at a cost of between $4,300 and $4,500.

“I told my dad my worst fear is some horrible accident while I’m recovering,” Denovchek, 28, said.

Denovchek did what he frequently does when something happens in his life – he posted a short message on Facebook.

“Home ownership. Yea!” he said of the dripping water.

But since David Denovchek is the guy who donated part of his liver, that simple post traveled fast, even to Kinsman Township, where Amanda Chandler, who used to baby-sit Denovchek when he was young, caught wind of it.

Her husband, Keith, has a company, Storm Service Solutions, that repairs problems with roofs, basements and other parts of homes that result from rain or snow or ice.

Keith showed up to provide an estimate, too, but his bottom line was different from the others.

“I told him I’ll do it for you for nothing,” Keith Chandler said. “I feel like some people need a break. I just thought it was the right thing to do.”

Chandler was aware that Denovchek was the young man who donated part of his liver, and that was why he decided to give him a new roof at no cost.

“He said, ‘Things happen,’ and he wanted to make it right,” Denovchek said. “I just didn’t know how to react. Things like that don’t happen in the real world,” Denovchek said.

But in David Denovchek’s new world, yes.

Chandler and his crew are scheduled to arrive early this morning and hope to have the job finished by early afternoon.

If the name Keith Chandler sounds familiar, it’s because his life has had some twists and turns as well.

A Marine Corps veteran of Operation Shock and Awe in Iraq and Kuwait, he says he suffered a traumatic brain injury in combat but was never awarded the Purple Heart.

He pleaded guilty in April in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to tampering with records and forgery to get Purple Heart license plates. A short time later, he was charged in Painesville with insurance fraud and forgery connected to a job he was attempting to do for a church there. He has a hearing in Painesville Monday in that matter and expects it to be resolved, he said.

Chandler said he was wrong to try to get Purple Heart license plates, but he spent eight years in the mililtary, has a wife and children and has established a successful business.

“People make mistakes. It’s about how you recover from it,” Chandler said. “You can make a mistake and try to make things better.”