Several dozen people gathered at a Fresno hospital on Thursday to honor Nurse Patrice Sanders before she went into surgery to donate her organs.
Patrice was a children's hospital nurse for 36 years and her sister said Patrice called her and said she wasn't feeling well while she was at work.
After several tests, it was determined Patrice had gastroenteritis and Doctors discovered she had suffered from a bilateral stroke.
Her outcome was not favorable, so Patrice made her end of life wishes clear, and the family wanted to make sure they honored those requests. "She saw many children die at Valley's Children's during her time there as an RN. She always had a great respect for the children who donated their organs, and I think that example for her was an inspiration for her," Paige said.
Jaclyn Manzanedo, with Donor Network West, said there are over 22,000 patients just in California alone waiting for an organ transplant.
"Giving the gift of life, it seems like it was in line with what she did throughout her life. It's a beautiful way to leave that legacy that she left both in life and after her passing," Manzanedo said.
As the family continues to celebrate the life Patrice led, they say they will remember one warm feeling she always gave so freely to others -- love.