When Meghan Rozema was a kid, her parents used to donate blood all the time.
asserted
parents → use → blood
She would tag along and enjoy the cookies and soup served after.
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She → tag → cookies
When she was old enough, Rozema started donating herself, when she could.
uncertain
she → start → ?
“Life went on, sometimes I would get busy,” she said.
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she → go → ?
“I got away from donating.”
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I → get → ?
In 2018, the Sherwood Park woman saw a post on Facebook of a man looking for a kidney donor.
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woman → see → donor
It opened up a conversation between her and her family.
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It → open → her
“The assumption is you would be a deceased donor but there is opportunity to donate while we’re still living,” she said.
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she → be → ?
Originally, she reached out to Give Life Alberta to see if she could donate a kidney.
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she → reach → kidney
The team told her she could also donate part of her liver, but she would need to do that before she could donate her kidney.
uncertain
she → tell → kidney
“The scar seemed intimidating.
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scar → seem → ?
It’s not a small scar,” she told Global News.
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she → ’ → News
“It’s a bigger recovery.”
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It → ’ → ?
After discussing it with her family, she decided it was the path she wanted to take.
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she → discuss → family
In 2021 she got the call to donate part of her liver.
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she → get → liver
“It went to a baby who probably wouldn’t have seen their first birthday without this transplant,” she said.
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she → go → transplant
“Now, anytime I look in the mirror and see the scar I thought of the baby and how they’d be growing and reaching milestones in their life.
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they → look → life
In the meantime, a family friend’s mother got sick.
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mother → get → meantime
Rozema intended to give her a kidney, but had to wait two years between surgeries before being able to do so.
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Rozema → intend → surgeries
“Unfortunately, she passed away before I was able to donate again,” she said.
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she → pass → ?
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Instead, Rozema anonymously donated her kidney to a stranger who had been on dialysis for many years.
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who → get → years
“The donation was in her honour,” she said of her friend’s mom.
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she → say → mom
Rozema is Alberta’s first living donor to give two organs and one of only a handful in Canada.
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Rozema → live → Canada
“She would be the first person to minimize her decision,” Cassandra Garneau, living donor coordinator for Give Life Alberta, said.
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Garneau → minimize → Alberta
“She’s a hero.”
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She → ’ → ?
More than 500 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in Canada and Garneau said 400 of those people specifically need a new kidney.
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400 → wait → kidney
Doctors can’t keep up with demand using just deceased donors, but many people don’t know what options are out there.
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options → keep → donors
“You can donate a kidney or a piece of your liver and still live a healthy life.”
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You → donate → life
Rozema joined Give Life Alberta representatives at the University of Alberta Hospital as part of Living Donor Awareness week from Sept 13-19.
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Rozema → join → Sept
“It’s an honor and also, it’s unfortunate that I am the only one,” Rozema added.
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Rozema → ’ → ?
While she usually shies away from the spotlight, Rozema hopes sharing her story will inspire others to consider donating.
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sharing → shy → others
“For me, my life went on,” she said.
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she → go → me
“I was able to exercise again.
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I → exercise → ?
I was able to enjoy my kid’s activities.”
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I → enjoy → activities
A short blip in your life that may be an interruption — that may be inconvenient for a short time,” she said.
uncertain
she → say → time
“But, the impact you have on someone else’s life is just incredible.”
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you → have → life
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