VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Dec. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ethan Troy Williams, a Virginia Beach organ, tissue and cornea donor has been selected as an honoree on the 2015 Donate Life Rose Parade® float. A likeness of Ethan will be captured on a floragraph - a portrait made of organic materials such as spices, seeds and crushed flowers.
"The Never-Ending Story" of hope, giving, and life is the theme of the float. Atop the float, the floragraphs will grace 72 books that hold their inspirational stories, with an open book seeming to release 60 butterflies representing the number of lives transformed by a single deceased donor. Thirty riders and 12 living donors, who will walk alongside the float, will add their stories to the float that will be seen by more than 40 million viewers nationwide during the Tournament of Roses® Parade on New Year's Day.
Since 2004, the Donate Life Rose Parade float has served as a memorial to organ and tissue donors and a platform for donor families, living donors and transplant recipients to inspire the world to save and heal those in need through the gift of life. Today, more than 123,000 candidates are on the national organ transplant waiting list. Largely due to the rarity of donation opportunities, only about 28,000 organs are transplanted each year in the U.S. Additionally, a single tissue donor can save and heal dozens more through needed heart valves, corneas, skin, bone, and tendons that mend hearts, prevent or cure blindness, heal burns and save limbs.
On December 13, 2014, LifeNet Health hosted a floragraph finishing event where Ethan's family and friends put the final touches on the floragraph before sending it to ride on the float in Pasadena. Bridge to Life, a biotechnology company, sponsored the floragaph of Ethan, and LifeNet Health is coordinating and supporting a trip to the January 1, 2015 parade for Ethan's wife, Julia Williams.
"Without the compassionate decisions of donor families, we would not be able to do our work of saving lives and restoring health," says Robin Cowherd, Director of Donor Family Services. "I get a sense of hope when I witness the way donor families, recipients and staff support one another."
About LifeNet Health
LifeNet Health helps to save lives, restore health, and give hope to thousands of patients each year. LifeNet Health is the world's most trusted provider of transplant solutions, from organ procurement to new innovations in bio-implant technologies and cellular therapies—a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, while always honoring the donors and healthcare professionals that allow the healing process. For more information about LifeNet Health, go to www.LifeNetHealth.org.
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SOURCE LifeNet Health