Born September 11, 2001, Christina-Taylor Green developed a sense of caring and hope for others as she grew up. The Greens discussed organ donation when Christina-Taylor's grandmother passed away. They decided as a family they would all be organ donors. "We're grateful we did. When Christina-Taylor passed away, we were grief stricken," recounted Roxanna. The Greens agreed to donate whatever they could. This was a difficult decision even after discussing organ donation before Christina's passing. "We will never forget the uplifting of our spirits when we received the news that Christina's corneas saved the eyesight of two people," said Roxanna. Christina would be proud of the legacy she has left behind. Roxanna is proud to ride on the Donate Life float to honor her daughter and to encourage cornea, organ and tissue donation.

Roxanna's Story

Born on September 11, 2001, Christina-Taylor Green was a shining light on a tragic and sad day for our country. In the countless replays of 9/11, Christina saw the anguish but also the hope and sense of community that swept the country. This enabled her to develop a sense of caring and hope for others.

"Yolanda, Christina-Taylor's grandmother, and I were active in political events and volunteering. It was only natural that Christina and my son, Dallas, joined the Kids Helping Kids club at Mesa Verde Elementary to help organize food and toy drives for needy families," said Roxanna Green, Christina-Taylor's mother.

Christina also became fascinated with politics when President Obama, the first black president in the U.S., ran for office. She talked to Roxanna and her grandmother about how public servants can help communities. The next year, Christina-Taylor won a student council seat and even suggested she was interested in becoming the first woman president.

She also loved baseball. Her father, John, works for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a scout. Talented, she was the only girl on the Canyon Del Oro Little League team in the fall of 2010. She played second base, pitched and was an advanced hitter. After learning there weren't any girls playing in the Major Leagues, she wanted to be the first one.

So you see, Christina-Taylor had lofty goals and big dreams.

Sadly, Yolanda passed away unexpectedly in October 2009. As a family, the Greens discussed organ donation before Yolanda's passing.

Afterwards, they decided as a family they would all be organ donors. "By giving the gift of our organs, we could help others and our spirits would live on in those we helped. John and I involved Dallas and Christina in this discussion and we all agreed it was the right thing to do. We're grateful we did. When Christina-Taylor passed away on January 8, 2011, we were grief stricken and unable to process what had happened to us, let alone start the conversation of organ donation in regards to our 9-year-old daughter," recounted Roxanna.

The evening she died, the Greens painfully agreed to donate whatever they could. This was a difficult decision even after discussing organ donation prior to Christina's passing. "We believe it would be next to impossible had we not done so beforehand," said Roxanna. "We will never forget the uplifting of our spirits several weeks later when we received the news that Christina's corneas saved the eyesight of two people. We knew right then that we had made the right decision and that Christina-Taylor would be proud to have helped others see."

Roxanna is proud to ride on the Donate Life float to honor her daughter and to encourage cornea, organ and tissue donation. Roxanna believes the gift of donating is priceless to the recipients but also uplifting to the families of donors. Christina-Taylor Green would be proud of the legacy she has left behind in nine short years and being a donor will forever be part of that legacy.