Contacts: Anne Grey, (213) 356-5216 or agrey@onelegacyfoundation.org Rivian Bell or Lisa Bernfeld, (213) 612-4927, (310) 463-9229, rbell@jdipr.com, lbernfeld@jdipr.com

72 ORGAN, EYE AND TISSUE DONORS TO BE HONORED AS LIVING LEGACIES ON 2015 DONATE LIFE ROSE PARADE FLOAT

Memorial "Floragraph" Portraits Tell 72 'Never-Ending Stories';

Dozens of Families to Apply Finishing Touches to Portraits at Local Events

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Sept. 22, 2014–In 28 states from Maine to California, the families of 72 organ, eye and tissue donors will complete memorial "floragraph" portraits of their loved ones that tell “The Never-Ending Story” of hope, giving, and life which is the theme of the 2015 Donate Life Rose Parade® 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.

"These honored individuals gave the gift of life to thousands of others and are remembered for their life-saving and healing donations after death,” said, Tom Mone, chairman of the Donate Life Float committee and CEO of OneLegacy, the nonprofit organ, eye and tissue recovery organization serving the greater Los Angeles area.

"For the families of these donors, their loved ones’ floragraphs not only offer special recognition on an unparalleled scale, but they also carry on the inspiration for so many others to become donors.  This is the ultimate gift of floragraph honorees and all donors – to carry on the story of donation.”

Only organic materials, such as spices, seeds, and crushed flowers, are used to create floragraphs. Some of the donors' families, guided by expert volunteers from Southern California, will come to Pasadena before Christmas to personally bring their loved ones' images to life. Others will apply the final touches to their floragraphs at special "floragraph finishing events" in their local communities.

Three floragraph honorees will have riders to accompany them. Tissue donor, Mike Erickson (Dorchester, WI), had completed Marine Corps boot camp and was only 28 when he died and donated his organs, corneas and tissue.  One of his tissue recipients was Colin Lepley (Versailles, MO), an athlete who needed the transplant to salvage his knee.  Colin wrote to Mike’s family with his deep gratitude for the gift that allowed him to continue the sports he loved so much.  In turn, his letter gave Mike’s parents the knowledge that their son’s donations had helped others to resume normal lives. Now Colin and his donor’s image will ride together on New Year’s Day.

Allen Janohosky (Chanhassen, MN), was a caring, considerate 17-year-old who was killed in an automobile accident. His kidney and pancreas recipient, Jimmy Lynch (Brookhaven, MS), was given a second chance at life because Allen had said “yes” to donation when he received his driver’s license. And Paul M. Guyette (Rochester, NY), whose close friend, Laurie LoMonaco, was a living donor.  Paul was only 42 when he lost his life from a brain hemorrhage. He was able to give life by donating his heart

“All of our floragraph honorees were outstanding individuals in life,” Mone noted. “Eight are further distinguished by their military and community service. We join their sponsors and families in honoring their service to our country. ”

Two of these honorees were killed in the line of duty:  Kenyon Youngstrom (Fairfield, CA), and Paul J. Sciullo II (Pittsburgh, PA). A U.S. Army veteran, Kenyon had served his community loyally as a California Highway Patrol officer for seven years. On September 4, 2012, at age 37, Kenyon was shot during a traffic stop. Similarly, Paul became a police officer and a registered organ donor because he wanted to make a difference in the world. On April 4, 2009, at age 36, Paul was tragically killed in a deadly attack on police officers. Able to donate his tissue, he received the highest honors for his service and sacrifice.

Age is no barrier in donation.  The youngest floragraph honoree is six weeks old; the oldest is 78. More than 40 percent of honorees are aged 18 or younger.  The vast majority of these are teenagers, although two eight-year-old boys, Christian Mor-Ying Yang (Rochester, MN), and Dakota Lane Johnston (Ft. Worth, TX), suffered from an aneurysm and arteriovenous malformation (AVM), respectively.  Christian’s mother, Priscilla Yang, saw that her son’s “actions and words proved that the life you live can long outlast the time spent on earth.”

Three honorees who died from different forms of cancer were all able to donate corneas:  Cheryl Ann Kennedy (Lindstrom, MN); Heidi S. Zimmer (Santa Rosa, CA); and Ana Mariko Stenzel (Redwood City, CA).  A double lung recipient due to cystic fibrosis, Ana Stenzel lived a remarkable life that included two college degrees, 16 years as a genetic counselor and global travels. Together with her twin sister, Isa Stenzel Byrnes, she published a memoir “The Power of Two: A Twin Triumph over Cystic Fibrosis,” that inspired an award-winning documentary. Isa, also a double lung transplant, rode the Donate Life float in 2008. Now her sister Ana will have that opportunity after fulfilling her wish to donate the gift of sight.

“There are many people who think they can’t sign up to be donors because of age or illness,” Mone said.  “That’s a myth that these three floragraph honorees will help dispel.”

Two honorees are inexplicably linked, not by how they lived but why they died. Hillary Crawford Bradford (McLean, VA), was shot while she protected her son from his mentally ill biological father. Another donor, Andrew Loyd (Corinth, MS), was only 11 when he was killed by his mentally ill father.  Andrew’s tragic death sparked the Andrew Loyd Bill, now a Mississippi law that helps prevent a mentally ill parent from harming a child.  In their deaths, both Hillary and Andrew saved many lives through organ donation.

Finally, for two honorees and their families, donation was an immediate choice because they both worked in tissue donation services. Becky Holman, mother of Caleb Andrew Holman (White Bluff, TN), had worked with DCI Donor Services for 22 years and currently serves as the Manager of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Control of the tissue bank. When Caleb received his driver’s license, he had made the decision to sign up to become a donor. At 17, he lost his life from a tragic swimming accident and was able to donate his organs, tissue and corneas.  His parents viewed his passing as an opportunity to educate others about the gift of donation.

Lisa “Michelle” Middleton (Charleston, SC), had worked long enough at RTI Surgical to become part of the “family”; in fact, her daughter, Tara Bryant, also worked there. After Lisa passed away from a sudden

heart attack at age 44, Tara found her mother was a registered donor.  Lisa’s donation of heart valves, pericardium, bone, tendons and skin are her legacy and a remarkable expression of her commitment to donation.

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.  As a result, 18 candidates die each day for lack of a donor. A single organ donor can save the lives of eight people, while a single tissue donor can save and heal 50 others through needed heart valves, corneas, skin, bone, and tendons that mend hearts, prevent or cure blindness, heal burns and save limbs. In addition, approximately 6,000 lives per year are saved by living kidney and liver donors. Anyone can sign up when renewing a driver's license or state ID, or by visiting www.DonateLifeAmerica.org.

Since its debut on New Year's Day 2004, the Donate Life Rose Parade float has become the world's most visible campaign to inspire people to become organ, eye, and tissue donors. The campaign began as an idea expressed in a letter by lung recipient Gary Foxen (Orange, CA), who wanted to show gratitude to donors who make life-saving transplants possible. Now, in addition to the 40 million viewers who view the Rose Parade in the stands and on TV, hundreds of events are held in cities and towns around the country to put the finishing touches on floragraph portraits and present dedicated roses to donor families and community partners that play a role in making donation possible.

The 2015 Donate Life float is built by Phoenix Decorating Company from a design by Dave Pittman and is coordinated by OneLegacy, the nation’s largest organ, eye and tissue recovery organization, and the OneLegacy Foundation. Each year, the Donate Life float campaign is supported by more than 140 official sponsors from coast to coast, including organ and tissue recovery organizations, tissue and eye banks, hospitals, transplant centers, state donor registries, funeral homes, donor family foundations and affiliated organizations. Joining OneLegacy as top-level benefactors are the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB); Bridge to Life, Ltd.; the Dignity Memorial® network; Donate Life America; Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network & University of Rochester Medical Center; Iowa Donor Network; The Order of St. Lazarus; Ryan Viator's Legacy; TBI/Tissue Banks International; and Webco Mining, Inc.

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that annually hosts the Rose Parade® presented by Honda, Rose Bowl Game® presented by VIZIO and various associated events. The 126th Rose Parade presented by Honda, themed "Inspiring Stories," will take place Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, at 8 a.m. (PST) featuring majestic floral floats, high-stepping equestrian units and spirited marching bands. Following the parade, the 101st Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO is slated to start at 1:30 p.m. (PST) and feature an exciting match-up between two of the top collegiate football teams in the nation. For additional information on the Tournament of Roses please visit the official website at www.tournamentofroses.com.

For more information on the Donate Life Float and all of the floragraph honorees, please visit www.donatelifefloat.org.

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(Note to editors: Full list of floragraph honorees by state follows)

Donate Life Rose Parade® Float

2015 Floragraph Honorees – Alphabetical by State

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Donate Life Rose Parade® Float

2015 Floragraph Honorees – Alphabetical by State (cont'd)

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Donate Life Rose Parade® Float

2015 Floragraph Honorees – Alphabetical by State (cont'd)