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This time last year, Megan Crawley was sitting in a hospital room at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.
The Saskatoon mother spent day after day at her daughter Emma’s bedside, hoping against hope that a life-saving organ donation would arrive in time to save the seven-month-old girl’s life.
This time last year, Megan Crawley was spending her days in the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton awaiting a liver transplant for her infant daughter. (Submitted)
Today, as she looks down at the vibrant, playful toddler crawling around on the floor of their Saskatoon home, Crawley said she’s filled with awe at Emma’s resilience.
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“Life is pretty normal for the most part. You look at her, and sometimes it just hits you… everything she went through and how she almost wasn’t going to be here,” Crawley said in an interview with 650 CKOM.
“She was standing without any of us holding her just yesterday. Of course, for any parent, every milestone is exciting, but it just kind of hits differently. We almost didn’t get this, you know.”
Though the Crawley family stays busy with regular appointments and blood tests for Emma, Megan Crawley said they are leading what they consider to be a normal life again. (Submitted)
Reflecting on Emma’s life-saving liver transplant and all that has happened since, Crawley recalled the challenges their young family faced.
Initially, Emma’s condition made a living-donor transplant impossible, as doctors would also need to use a deceased donor’s blood vessel, a risky procedure.
Emma’s health worsened, leading to fluid buildup, a heart condition and worsening complications.
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Despite the risks, the team decided to reopen the search for a living donor.
“They said, ‘We’ve got to give this girl a chance to live,’” Crawley shared, her voice softening as she recalled the moment.
Even now, she said the memory brings a sense of disbelief mixed with hope, knowing how critical that decision was for Emma’s future.
“They said there was a 40 per cent chance she wouldn’t survive it,” Crawley recalled.
Emma Crawley received her transplant on June 11, 2024, a combination of both living and deceased donor tissue. (Submitted)
On June 11, 2024, Emma received her transplant, a combination of both living and deceased donor tissue.
“Each day, she had an ultrasound post-transplant. And it was like, ‘OK, what’s the ultrasound going to be?’” Crawley said, describing the nerve-wracking days following the surgery. “And everything went very smoothly. The transplant itself, they said it went great.”
Crawley, smiling down at her babbling toddler, said Emma’s recovery has been remarkable.
“She is very much a normal kid. Loves playing with her brother. Loves playing outside.”
After spending months in a hospital room at her daughter’s bedside, Crawley said they are grateful for each day they are now able to spend at home. “It’s like we don’t ever want to leave, you know, because we’re just so happy. Overall, we’re just living a normal life again, which feels great,” she said. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
Yet, even as Emma flourishes, the reality of her situation remains. She is still on immunosuppressive medication to prevent her body from rejecting the new liver, and the family’s days are filled with medical appointments, blood tests and check-ups.
But even with all of these extra appointments filling up their calendar, the Crawleys are overcome with gratitude.
“It feels just so good just to be at home and be in our own space,” Crawley said with a smile, looking around her toy-filled living room. “It’s like we don’t ever want to leave, you know, because we’re just so happy. Overall, we’re just living a normal life again, which feels great.”
The gift of life: Honouring organ donors
April is Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the importance of organ donation and to raise awareness about the lives it can save.
For the Crawley family, the month holds special meaning as they celebrate Emma’s recovery and reflect on the incredible generosity that made it possible.
Crawley acknowledged the life-saving gift from Emma’s deceased donor, whose family agreed to donate the vessel required for the transplant.
“It was a vessel. It wasn’t even an organ. They were able to use a vessel from this individual, and that was a very crucial part of Emma’s transplant. And that would not have happened if that family didn’t agree to organ donation,” Crawley said.
The Crawleys are also deeply grateful for Emma’s living donor, Emily Britz, a distant cousin.
“We’re very thankful to Emily. What she did, what her husband did, what her parents, her siblings, her doctor and her boss did — all those people played a crucial part in getting Emily to the surgery. She was willing to drop everything and come.”
Emily Britz, a distant cousin, donated a portion of her liver to Emma Crawley. (Submitted)
Emily Britz, from Humboldt, is no stranger to the impact of organ donation.
“Organ donation has been a big topic in my life, especially over the recent years. It was talked about a lot locally after the Humboldt Broncos accident, as well as when my cousin Andrew passed away and was a donor,” Britz said.
“I think those experiences with organ donation were very different and heavier. There was so much grief that also came for those families. So in the end, for me, it just felt like the right thing to do; to give someone else a chance at life, if I had the capability. I think I was lucky to be given the opportunity to be part of Emma’s journey.”
Britz said the moment she got the call saying that she was a match for Emma, her life became a whirlwind.
“I had a lengthy interview with the transplant team, and then I got the call June 5 that Emma was cleared to go ahead for the transplant, and the O.R. was booked that day for June 11. So it was very quick.”
Despite the urgency, Britz remained focused on the bigger picture — the chance to give Emma the gift of life.
She said she feels an overwhelming sense of gratitude for having been part of this journey.
“I just feel so grateful that I paid attention to Emma’s story and I took a chance on getting tested to see if I could potentially be a match,” she said.
“Even though so many went before me, it just shows you only need one. And I’m so happy she has more time with her family, and at about 10 months post-transplant, now I think we really all do have a lot to celebrate.”
According to the provincial government, Saskatchewan leads the nation when it comes to rates of organ and tissue donation, with 28.9 donors per million people.
“This is a remarkable milestone, considering that in 2014, the rate was just 7.2 donors per million,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in a statement.
“It is a testament to the growing awareness Saskatchewan residents have of organ and tissue donation and their commitment to saving lives. Increased participation in events like Green Shirt Day and the illumination of landmarks in green reflect the province’s dedication to this vital cause.”
Britz, who has two young children herself, said she feels an overwhelming sense of gratitude for having been part of Emma Crawley’s journey. (Submitted)
From struggle to strength: Supporting families on their transplant journeys
As Emma’s family celebrates their daughter’s recovery, they are also working to create something that will help future families navigating similar struggles.
Crawley and her family helped launched the Move For Life Saskatchewan Family Grant. The initiative, which will open for applications on May 1, will help provide financial support to families of pediatric organ transplant patients in Saskatchewan.
Reflecting on their family’s struggles, Crawley explained the financial hardships they faced while Emma was in the hospital.
“It does add up. We had to pay for parking at the hospital, which was, I think, 60-ish dollars a month. She needed a specific type of formula, so that was $200 a month,” she said.
“There’s costs like her NG tube. She has a tube that goes into her belly so we can give her fluids. There was a special vitamin she was on that was $80 a month. We still had our mortgage payment back home. We still had our all of our vehicle payments. All the costs that, you know, you do on a monthly basis we still had, plus the additional costs of living in a different city.”
This time last year, the Crawley family was in Edmonton, awaiting a life-saving organ transplant for their daughter. Today, they are back home in Saskatoon with the happy, active toddler. (Submitted)
While the support they received through a GoFundMe page was a lifeline, Crawley emphasized the need for a more structured form of assistance.
“People from across the province supported us, and that was huge,” she said. “But that’s not the case for everyone going through transplant.”
She explained that the grant aims to remove some of the barriers that families face when trying to access support.
“We don’t ask for any financial information. It’s open to any family. We’re not asking what you make or what you spend, so it’s less invasive and more accessible for families who need help.”
Through Britz’s selfless act and the generosity of Emma’s deceased donor, Emma Crawley was given the precious gift of life.
Now, in the spirit of that same generosity, the Crawley family is working to give the gift of support to others.
Through the Move For Life program, they are helping ease the financial burdens that come with a transplant journey, ensuring that no Saskatchewan family has to face these challenges alone.
A liver transplant 10 months ago saved Emma Crawley’s life. Her mom Megan Crawley has now helped launch the Move For Life Saskatchewan Family Grant to help other families with the financial strain of pediatric organ transplants. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
