For Megan and Kian Crawley, organ donation is much more than a cause they support. It is part of their family’s story, one that began with an unimaginable loss and, a few years later, came full circle when their own daughter needed a lifesaving transplant.
Megan’s first cousin, Andrew Puetz, was a young Saskatchewan man whose generosity continues to help others through the Andrew Puetz Family Grant.
Andrew died following an accident in February 2020, just two days before his 23rd birthday.
He had made the decision to become an organ and tissue donor and, importantly, had talked about that decision with his family. When tragedy struck, they knew his wishes and were able to honour them.
Andrew’s final gift went on to save and improve the lives of others.
At the time, no one could have imagined just how personal the importance of organ donation would one day become for Megan and her own family.
In 2023, Megan and her husband Kian found themselves on the other side of organ donation, no longer the family of a donor, but parents desperately hoping donors could save their daughter Emma’s life.
Emma was just six weeks old when she was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a serious disease affecting the bile ducts of the liver.
As her condition worsened, the family faced months of hospital stays, appointments and uncertainty, eventually finding themselves at Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital waiting for the transplant that could keep their little girl alive.
Their lifesaving answer ultimately came through the generosity of two donors.
Emily Britz, a distant cousin from Humboldt, was found to be a suitable living donor and donated a portion of her liver. A vessel from a deceased organ donor was also crucial to making the transplant possible.
Emma received her transplant in June 2024.
For Megan, the experience brought the importance of organ donation even closer to home. From losing Andrew and watching his wishes be honored to give the gift of life, to watching donors give Emma the chance to live hers.
Today, those two stories have become intertwined as the family works to help other Saskatchewan transplant recipients and their families.
The Move For Life Foundation’s annual Walk-N-Talk returns this weekend, with walks taking place in Saskatoon on Saturday, October 3 and Humboldt on Sunday, October 4. Both begin at 10 a.m., with proceeds supporting the Andrew Puetz Family Grant.
Created in Andrew’s memory, the grant helps Saskatchewan transplant recipients and their families with expenses that can accompany transplantation, including travel, medications, physiotherapy, medical devices and recovery costs.
Over the past two years, the program has supported 21 transplant recipients and families, including 13 in 2026.
For Andrew’s family, the grant is a way of ensuring his generosity continues long after the gifts he gave through organ donation.
For Megan and Kian, the need for that support is something they understand firsthand.
A transplant affects far more than the person receiving the organ. Parents and other family members may have to leave work, travel hundreds of kilometres for specialized care and spend weeks or months away from home, all while continuing to manage the everyday expenses of life.
The Crawleys’ experience has also helped turn Megan into an advocate for transplant families and organ donation.
The stories of Andrew and the Crawley family offer a powerful look at both sides of transplantation, one family making the decision to give and another waiting and hoping for the gift that could save someone they love.
It is also why one of the central messages behind the Walk-N-Talk is #TalkToYourFamily.
Registering as an organ donor is important, but so is making sure the people closest to you know your wishes.
The Walk-N-Talk offers a virtual five-kilometre option available for participants anywhere in Canada.
Every step taken will help the Andrew Puetz Family Grant continue supporting Saskatchewan transplant families.
But the walk carries another message as well: talk to the people you love about organ donation.
If you would like to participate in the walk, or if you want to donate for the cause, go to www.moveforlifefoundation.com.
