Rare double living donor saves two strangers in Alberta

Mother’s gift of liver lobe and kidney hailed as ‘extremely rare and special’

Story & photo by Su-Ling Goh | Photos by Evan Isbister & Meghan Rozema

SHERWOOD PARK — A Sherwood Park woman is the only person in Alberta to have donated two organs while still alive — and one of just a few double living donors in Canada. Meghan Rozema chose to donate part of her liver and one kidney to save two people she will likely never meet.

“It’s amazing when anyone steps up to donate an organ, but someone doing two non-directed living donations is extremely rare and special,” says Michelle Skogstad, Give Life Alberta living donor coordinator. “We have the utmost respect for Meghan and her life-saving gifts, as well as her family for supporting her through the process.”

The mother of three was inspired by a social media post she spotted in 2018 about an Alberta man searching for a living organ donor.

“(The post) caught my interest, but I didn’t really think much of it,” says Meghan. “And then over a couple years, more seeds were planted.” She attended a hockey game where organ and tissue donation was being promoted. Then she happened to sit next to a kidney donor at a barbecue, which led to an enlightening conversation. In 2020, Meghan made up her mind to donate a kidney and phoned the living donation program (now Give Life Alberta).

“I said I’d like to donate. And (the staff member) asked, ‘Which organ?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I think I can only donate a kidney,’” recalls Meghan. “They said, ‘Actually, if you’d like to donate part of your liver, you’d have to donate that first and then a kidney.’ And I thought, ‘OK, I need to rethink this.’”

Meghan was intimidated by the size of the scar after liver donation surgery, but eventually decided it was a “practical” way to help someone in desperate need. Her husband Dean Rozema says he was surprised, but not surprised, by his wife’s decision.

“(Meghan has) always had a very sympathetic heart,” Dean explains. “She sees a need … and she just kind of quietly works in the background.… She’s never wanted any sort of attention for it, either.”

Meghan’s testing process took around three months, including lab work, MRIs and CT scans to ensure she was healthy enough to donate part of her liver.

“I also met with a social worker and a psychiatrist, just to make sure I’m (donating) for the right reasons, that I’m capable of doing it and that I have the support I need at home to be able to recover properly,” says Meghan, whose son Jesse and twins Maria and Vienna were 11 and 9 years old at the time.

Her surgery date was in 2021, during the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. For six days, Meghan stayed in the University of Alberta Hospital with just one visitor (her husband) allowed.

“The staff were wonderful and attentive,” recalls Meghan. “I was nauseous after the surgery, which made it difficult to eat, but I still had the energy to walk around the unit.”

Within three months — around the same time her liver had almost grown back to its original size — she was building up stamina on walks and could work out with light weights.

“After donating her liver, (our family said) ‘No, you don’t need to do another (organ donation), you’re fine’, says Dean. “But once she recovered from the liver (surgery) and she was feeling so good physically, she felt very convicted to donate the kidney and we were like, ‘Alright, go for it.’”

In 2023, Meghan intended to donate to a family friend who needed a kidney, but the woman passed away before that could happen. In her honour, Meghan gave one kidney anonymously to a stranger. This time, the surgery and recovery were easier; she was discharged within two days and exercising lightly two weeks later.

All the 45-year-old knows about her recipients is that her liver lobe saved a child’s life, and her kidney saved an adult who was on dialysis for many years.

“I’m very thankful to be part of (my recipients’) journey,” says Meghan with a smile. “I hope they continue to be healthy and experience the things in life that the rest of us can.”

“I’ve told some people (about Meghan’s donations) and they’ll start crying because either they’ve lost somebody or they’ve had a donation or they know of somebody (who needs one),” adds Dean with tears in his eyes. “It hits them almost immediately.”

Living Donation Week is Sept. 13–19, 2026. More than 500 people are waiting for life-saving transplants in Alberta. For more information about organ and tissue donation, visit GiveLifeAlberta.ca.