Patrice Sanders

Type of Donation:       Organ (kidneys, pancreas, lungs) & Tissue

Age and Location:      Age 59 – Central Valley, Fresno, CA

Date of Donation:           06/13/2024

Sponsor:                      Honored by Donor Network West

PATRICE’S STORY

Patrice Sanders, an identical twin and redhead, never enjoyed the attention she and her siblings received. She preferred to blend in, but standing out defined her life—and her passing.

Patrice was a registered nurse at the Children's Hospital in Central California for 37 years.  She worked in the emergency department and the pediatric ICU.  In both departments, some parents made the decision for their child to become an organ donor. She always had a great respect for families who made that decision. Patrice supported parents throughout the process. In fact, she was given an award from her employer for her ability to connect with families.  

Patrice was generous in life. An example of Patrice's generosity was a program that she started at the hospital where she worked. She made handprint quilts so parents could paint their child's hand and press it on the quilt as a remembrance of their child's passing.  Many of the organ donors' parents received a quilt made by Patrice.

Sander's sister, Paige, said she went to work the week she died and fell ill. After a few days of sleeping on and off, they realized she had a brain bleed that would have left her disabled. Paige remembered a document Sanders had signed called Five Wishes. On her document, Sanders had listed that she wanted to donate her organs. Sanders also wrote that she did not want life support treatment, nor did she want to live with permanent or severe brain damage. "If I cannot carry on meaningful conversations with my loved ones and carry out my own activities of daily living, I do not wish my life to be extended," Sander wrote on July 3rd, 2020, in her document.  

On June 13, 2024, after passing away from a bilateral stroke of the cerebellum, Patrice fulfilled her long-standing wish to become an organ donor. She had registered as a donor when she first received her driver's license and confirmed this decision in her written wishes.

As she made her way to the operating room, there was an honor walk with over 100 people. Shortly afterward, a local news station broadcasted a story about Patrice and the honor walk, which was then replayed on stations worldwide. Later, Patrice was named a healthcare hero on MedWatch. CNN subsequently aired a national story about her and interviewed one of her kidney recipients, who shared that she had spent every day on dialysis and, thanks to Patrice's kidney, is now free from that routine and able to spend more time with her grandchildren.

Patrice made an impact on many people in many different ways, both in her career and through her final generous act.