The Rose Parade has been a must watch for me on New Year's Day for as long as I can remember and it has taken on special meaning since my lung transplant and involvement in organ donation awareness and transplantation. My favorite station to watch the parade is KTLA out of Los Angeles who take us behind the scenes before the parade starts and broadcasts all day long. Many cable companies, etc. carry KTLA as a super station. Rogers Cable in my area has it as a digital channel.
The 2010 Donate Life Rose Parade Float started to take shape this past Saturday as donor family members from around the country, California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) employees and members of Southern California’s Asian community began decorating the Donate Life Rose Parade float, New Life Rises. Family members representing 30 donors designated as floragraphs -- artistic portraits created with floral materials –arrived from around the country for the opportunity to create loved ones’ portraits that will grace the float.
Participants:
Floragraph Decorators: 16 friends and family of Todd Sato of Los Angeles, who was both a heart recipient and an organ and tissue donor; friends and family of two Bakersfield-area donors: Jeffrey Johns (Bakersfield) and Jack Cardinal (Caliente). Other donor families will journey from Ohio, Idaho, Montana, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arkansas, Nebraska and Washington to decorate the beautiful images of their loved ones.
California DMV: Two dozen employees have volunteered to come at their own expense from Bell Gardens, El Cajon, El Monte, Fresno, Pomona, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Teresa and Victorville, includingClaire Sims of Sacramento, whose aunt donated a kidney to her husband, and Staycie Monsma of Riverside, a liver recipient. The California DMV plays a vital role in the success of the state organ and tissue donor registry.
Donate Life volunteers: Among those decorating the float will be Donate Life Ambassador Melissa Choi (Rowland Heights) and family in memory of her father, organ donor David Choi; Caroline Hong (Shadow Hills), liver transplant coordinator at UCLA Medical Center; Dave Kim(La Canada), president of the Korean Organ Donor Program, Chung Suk Kim (Los Angeles), kidney recipient and Sun Chin (Fullerton), liver recipient who will be joined by Korean youth; members of Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (Arcadia); and Bernice Goh (Claremont), wife of donor Ernest Goh, whose organs saved five lives.
Details: Spearheaded by Donate Life America member OneLegacy, the Donate Life Rose Parade Float is supported by nearly 60 official partners from across the nation, including organ and tissue recovery organizations, for-profit contributors, transplant centers, and transplant recipient organizations. Donate Life salutes the importance of the Hispanic community’s contribution to organ, tissue and blood donation by also presenting the float’s logo in Spanish, “Done Vida.” The 121st Rose Parade, themed New Life Rises, will take place on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, at 8:00 am PST, featuring majestic floral floats and spirited marching bands. For more information about the Donate Life Rose Parade Float and to see an artistic rendering of the float, visit http://www.donatelifefloat.org
“You Have the Power to Save Lives – Register to be a donor & Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”
Register to be a donor in Ontario or Download Donor Cards from Trillium Gift of Life Network. NEW for Ontario: recycleMe.org - Learn The Ins & Outs Of Organ And Tissue Donation. Register Today! For other Canadian provinces click here
In the United States, be sure to find out how to register in your state at ShareYourLife.org or Download Donor Cards from OrganDonor.Gov
In Great Britain, register at NHS Organ Donor Register
In Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register
Your generosity can save up to eight lives with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants. One tissue donor can help up to 100 other people by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves
Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant.
No comments:
Post a Comment