Forty Albertans who donated organs to help save lives were honoured Sunday afternoon at a celebration hosted by Give Life Alberta at the University of Alberta Hospital. The provincial organ and tissue donation program recognized people who gave a kidney or part of their liver between 2022 and 2025.

Among them was Caitlin Garcia, a neonatal intensive care unit nurse who donated part of her liver to a stranger. The recipient, two-year-old Mia Sanderson, was one of about 500 Albertans waiting for a transplant each year. Garcia and Mia met for the first time a month ago.

Garcia said the decision “felt like a thing I could do.” She told CTV News Edmonton: “I feel like there’s so much to be sad about and angry about in the world, and the move is always, ‘Just do what you can in the moment you can do it,’”

Mia’s mother, Angela Sanderson, said she wanted to meet Garcia to express her gratitude. “I just wanted to thank her, give her a hug and just know her,” she said. “She’s the reason Mia is here today.”

About 75 people make a living organ donation in Alberta annually. Andrew Gillingham, Give Life Alberta’s living donor transplant coordinator, said someone waiting for a deceased-donor kidney typically faces a wait of four to five years, while a living donor transplant takes six months to a year. “It’s much faster, you can plan better, and people can get back to life quicker,” he said.

The report included files from CTV News Edmonton’s Noah Rishaug.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.