Jennifer Moe
Director of Communications/PR
Donor Alliance
303-329-4747
WYOMING’S ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION COMMUNITY CELEBRATES THE GIFT OF LIFE IN 2010 ROSE PARADE®
Wyoming Donor Family Shows How New Life Rises with Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation
CASPER—December 8, 2009—For more than 120 years, the Tournament of Roses Parade has been an American tradition. This year, Wyoming’s organ and tissue donation community will come together to honor a local donor family whose story will have a presence on the 2010 Donate Life Rose Parade Float, New Life Rises. The float will be featured in the 121st annual Tournament of Roses Parade on Friday, January 1, 2010 at 10 a.m. MST in Pasadena, CA.
New Life Rises will feature a phoenix–the mythical symbol of life coming out of death–rising into the sky representing those who give life in their death and the people whose lives are renewed by their gifts. The bird will soar high above 24 riders who are comprised of living donors and donor family members from across the U.S. Adorning the bird’s tail feathers are 76 floragraphs–portraits created with floral material–of deceased donors who gave life to those in need. In addition, donors from across the country are memorialized in a garden of dedicated roses, with each rose vial carrying a personal message of love, hope and remembrance.
Donor Alliance will sponsor a floragraph of Shantel Miller, an organ and tissue donor, who will be represented among the float’s other inspirational stories about organ and tissue donation. Shantel’s family and friends will gather on December 14th to place the finishing touches on her floragraph in Casper, which will then be shipped back to Pasadena and placed on the float. The Donate Life float’s riders and floragraph honorees represent millions of people touched by organ and tissue donation including donor families, their deceased loved ones, living donors, transplant recipients and transplant candidates.
Organ and tissue donor Shantel Miller died from injuries sustained in a single-car accident on April 23, 2008 at the age of 16. Shantel loved participating in sports. She played the viola in band and was in the choir. After careful consideration, Shantel’s mother Michelle consented to organ and tissue donation. Shantel was an eight-organ donor, as well as a tissue and cornea donor. Her gifts saved and healed countless lives.
According to Donor Alliance, organ donors save the lives of more than 28,000 Americans on average each year. 1,500,000 tissue transplants occur in the U.S. each year and close to half a million Americans benefit from the lifesaving and healing gifts organ and tissue donors provide.
“After going through a devastating situation such as this one, we are thankful that life was able to come out of such loss. We know Shantel wouldn’t have wanted it any other way,” said Michelle.
“It is truly our honor to pay tribute to Shantel and her family by placing a floragraph in her honor on the 2010 Donate Life float,” said Sue Dunn, president and CEO of Donor Alliance. “Shantel’s family helped save and heal the lives of numerous people through their decision to donate. It is our hope that Shantel’s story will inspire other families across the country to discuss donation, then sign-up on their state donor registries.”
Wyoming residents can register their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor in the following ways:
• Online at DonateLifeWyoming.org.
• At the Wyoming Department of Transportation the next time you obtain or renew your driver’s license.
• By calling 1-888-256-4386.
For more information, please visit DonateLifeWyoming.org.
We are pleased to announce the creation of Colorado’s new specialty Donate Life license plate. CLICK HERE.
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