2024 Rider Honorees
Meet the float riders touched through donation and transplantation.
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After undergoing critical emergency open-heart surgery, Bana Isaac survived, but her kidneys did not. Bana endured 5 years of dialysis, when her sister Sened decided to give her sister a second chance at life by donating one of her kidneys. On April 6, 2016, Bana's transplant surgery took place at Stanford Hospital, and it was an instant success. Bana no longer needed dialysis. Being diagnosed with Lupus at 14, Bana's road to recovery was filled with endless bumps and hurdles. Due to dialysis being grueling and hard to endure, Bana took a seven-year hiatus from college. After receiving her sister's kidney, Bana was able to return to school and graduate from San Francisco State University. Receiving a new kidney has given Bana a second chance at life with infinite possibilities. With her family's support, tenacity, and optimistic spirit, Bana hopes to inspire others to overcome their limitations and focus on all the amazing possibilities. Bana's sister, Sened, will also be honored on the float as a walker. -
Cheryl "Renee" Roybal is Native American, a tribal enrolled member of the Pueblo de San Ildefonso in New Mexico. At 64 years old, she is the eldest of four siblings, married, has two wonderful daughters, and is a "Saya" grandma of 3 grandchildren. Unbeknown to doctors and herself, she became ill and discovered her heart was enlarged. She was then placed on the heart transplant list and was blessed to receive a heart on October 10, 2002, from an 11-year-old girl. She is alive today because someone's parents said yes to donating their child's organs. Because of that gift, Renee has seen her girls grow to become women and marry. She has been able to be present at the births of her grandchildren and blessed with many other beautiful milestone memories. Renee is enjoying life and sharing her knowledge of the importance of organ donation at various events in Northern New Mexico and in her local Native American communities. -
Chloé Temtchine is an award-winning singer, songwriter, speaker, and creator of "Super Brave," a series spotlighting kids and adults facing life's most complex health challenges. After five years of misdiagnoses, Chloé was diagnosed with severe Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) and PVOD (Pulmonary Veno Occlusive Disease). Before her diagnosis, Chloé was set to tour with Grammy-nominated Greg Camp of Smash Mouth. Her diagnosis drastically altered her trajectory. Despite her health challenges, Chloé focused on healing through nutritional lifestyle, exercise, mindset, creative expression, and quality time with loved ones. On August 5, 2020, after suffering a cardiac arrest, being in a coma, and on life support for a month, Chloé received a life-saving, double-lung transplant. Post-transplant, Chloé's mission has expanded to promote organ donation awareness. Highly respected in the music industry and renowned globally, Chloe is engaged by top brands and pharmaceutical giants such as Johnson & Johnson. She is hired for exclusive events to share her empowering story and inspiring music. -
David "Dave" Gray was a procurement specialist for 37 years. In 2015, he was struck by viral cardiomyopathy, which compromised his heart. Dave was placed on the organ transplant registry. After a year-long battle that included 177 days in the hospital, Dave received his lifesaving gift: a new heart. Since then, Dave has been a devoted organ donation and transplantation advocate, raising awareness of the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. Dave is active throughout New York, traveling regularly to Westchester Medical Center, visiting patients, and advocating for them. The seven years since Dave received his new heart have been filled with gifts. He celebrated his first grandson's 8th birthday and witnessed the birth of two additional grandchildren: Lucy (6 years old) and Casey (3 years old). Dave celebrated his 44th wedding anniversary with his wife Cathy. Dave is forever grateful for his donor and has dedicated his life to giving back to the donation community. -
Diana Ladio is a professional violinist and fiddle player. She tours full-time and has played music for a living for her entire adult life. She has also run five marathons, including the Boston Marathon. On a beautiful autumn run in 2016, she felt extreme pain in her knee. An MRI revealed an osteochondral defect, and Diana immediately underwent surgery. Unfortunately, the procedure was unsuccessful. She lived with chronic pain, limited mobility, and an inability to run for several more years. While devastating for so many, the pandemic resulted in all of Diana's shows being canceled, giving her the time for the surgery she needed. On December 23rd, 2020, Diana underwent osteochondral allograft transplantation of both the patella and trochlea, along with a tibial tubercle osteotomy. The gift of donor cartilage returned Diana to her calling - bringing joy to people worldwide through music - and continuing her passion for running and the outdoors. -
LESLIE EDWARD PRIDGEN, better known as Freeway, is an American hip hop artist. He first gained recognition after appearing on Jay-Z's album, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, in 2000. Freeway signed to Roc-A-Fella in 2001, touring the country and reaching the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 at 24 years old with his solo debut album, Philadelphia Freeway. During the 2015, Made in America Music Festival in Philadelphia, Freeway felt fatigued and unwell. He went to the doctor and, at 37 years old, was diagnosed with kidney failure. After four years of dialysis, Freeway took a chance and accepted a kidney with Hepatitis, trusting that the medical community would heal the kidney. The transplant was successful and within days of transplantation, there were no units of Hepatitis detectable. In October 2020, Freeway's son Jihad Pridgen died suddenly, and Freeway knew all too well about how donation can save lives. Together, Jihad’s family made the decision to give the gift of life, and his donation saved four lives. Freeway's perseverance inspires others to endure, love, and choose the gift of life. He is not only a hip-hop icon but also a hero and champion in the donation and transplantation community. -
A child of God, born and raised in Manhattan Beach, California, Jeff Newell is blessed with two beautiful daughters: Amanda, twenty-seven, and Kylie, twenty-five. Jeff also has a twin brother, Greg Newell, two sisters, Lynn Hayward and Nadine Newell, and his parents, Judy Ernst and Val Newell, also reside in Southern California. As a Tennis coach for children (10 and under), Jeff runs a TennisKids business that brings Tennis to private preschools and currently serves over 350 students in Los Angeles and Orange counties. He is blessed and gets great JOY from serving as a Deacon at Faith Community Church in Compton. When Jeff learned he needed a heart transplant, he almost lost time with his beautiful family. However, God gave him a second chance at life when he received a heart transplant in 2020. Jeff's donor, Scott Hultman, is honored as a floragraph on the 2024 OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade float. -
– 159 words Aspiring nurse Joceline Perez Hernandez loves a good run—a sensation she compares to flying. Over time, she noticed a small stinging in her left knee but did not think much of it. Things changed one Thanksgiving when Joceline and her family decided to go for a hike. A bad slip caused immeasurable pain in Joceline's leg. Doctors discovered that Joceline's ongoing pain was caused by a benign tumor located below her left knee. The tumor meant no running or hiking for Joceline, and she could not continue seeing patients in nursing school. Doctors later confirmed that Joceline would need surgery using an osteochondral tissue graft, utilizing donated cartilage and bone tissue. These donations would help save Joceline's leg. Thanks to her donor, Joceline is now the first registered nurse in her entire family. She continues sharing her testimony to encourage others and she enjoys spending time with family, planning her wedding, and working as a certified nurse's assistant. -
Joseph Sanchez-Munoz is a 19-year-old three-time transplant recipient and is the only child who has ever received three transplants from Stanford Medicine Children's Health. Each transplant happened at a different time in his life. He received a liver, kidney, and most recently a heart transplant. Joseph (Joe Joe) was born with dysplastic kidney disease which was quickly followed by a diagnosis of liver cancer, which caused his liver to fail at just 7 months of age. Along with his liver cancer and kidney disease, geneticists at Stanford Children's diagnosed Joseph with extremely rare Hao-Fountain syndrome. Last winter, Joseph made a trip to the emergency department for what his mother thought might be asthma. He was diagnosed with heart failure – a potential affliction caused by past chemotherapy from liver cancer. Thanks to his organ donors and rare three-time gifts, Joseph loves music, enjoys dancing, remains joyful and continues through life always smiling. His mother hopes to see him graduate college. -
Malakai was diagnosed at the age of 11 with a rare form of liver cancer. After many months of chemo and multiple surgeries at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, it was determined that he would need a liver transplant. His parents received a call that there was a donor with the perfect liver for Malakai's body. However, he was second in line. His family waited with anticipation by the phone. Around 10 am the next morning, his family received THE CALL! Malakai was being fast-tracked into surgery, and his parents needed to hurry and get him to the hospital! On November 25th, 2019, Malakai received the best gift anyone could ever give: the gift of life! His family is forever grateful that the donor family chose life after death, chose to give to another selflessly, and chose to say yes! Malakai is now 16, a high school junior, living life to its fullest with gratitude and thanks! -
Melissa Nelson received a pancreas transplant in 2019. After being diagnosed with type-1 Diabetes while in college, Melissa dedicated herself to managing her condition. Unfortunately, she still became very ill. The year before her transplant, her blood sugar was critically dropping and her body was no longer responding, making Melissa a candidate for a pancreas transplant. Shortly after being listed at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, Melissa received a bittersweet call that forever changed her life: a pancreas was available for her. Now a healthy 38-year-old, Melissa has not needed insulin since her surgery, and she can keep up with her son's active schedule. She volunteers with the Iowa Donor Network as an advocate of the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation, sharing her gratitude to donors and their families. Donation and transplantation have long impacted her life. Melissa's father also received a lifesaving transplant, and she has several friends who gave the gift of donation. -
At the age of ten, Missy Rodriguez received a successful life-saving liver transplant. Missy went to great lengths to keep her medical history a secret. However, in 2015, Missy had a dramatic change of heart after she underwent emergency surgery. Since then, Missy has turned her passion into purpose as an advocate for organ donation. Missy is a volunteer for NJ Sharing Network and principal for Missy's Miracle Scholarship Fund. Missy earned a B.A. from Emory University and an M.A. and Ed.M. from Columbia University. She has a successful career as the owner of an educational consultant business. She is an avid tennis player and former Varsity Tennis coach. She also won gold medals in tennis at the Transplant Games of America. Missy resides in Short Hills, NJ, with her husband, Brett, and their three sons. Missy is approaching the fortieth anniversary of her transplant – a milestone that will make her one of the longest liver transplant survivors in history. -
After being diagnosed with diabetes at age 13, ORLAN had to learn from a young age to manage this disease. Unfortunately, 19 years after this diagnosis, his health deteriorated and during a health checkup, medical professionals informed Orlan that his kidneys were failing. He started dialysis shortly after. Unbeknownst to him, Orlan’s bloodline sister stepped forward to get tested as a potential living kidney donor, and she was a match. A year later, Orlan received one of his sister’s kidneys. Orlan gained a second chance at enjoying life with his family and continuing his craft as a traditional Hopi carver. Today, Orlan is 48 and he has enjoyed 15 years of good health. Thanks to his sister’s gift, he was able to see his three children grow, continue his craft as a traditional Hopi carving artist, and he is now a proud grandfather of a girl. Orlan is from the Upper Moenkopi and has been carving since the 1990s. -
Raul Sansores married his high school sweetheart, and they brought three children into the world. Throughout his children's youth, Raul never missed an opportunity to be involved. Raul became their coach and the "go-to" father to chaperone school field trips. In 2021, Raul was diagnosed with liver disease and told he had five months to live. Through the strength of his children and wife, Raul decided he was going to survive. On August 1st, 2021, Raul was put on the transplant list. Five days later, he was told there was a match. Raul began a new life because of a special gift from a special person, his donor. Raul works for a non-profit and aids impoverished, unhoused, and hungry community members. A year after his transplant, Raul became an ambassador for OneLegacy, devoting his spare time to events, education, and explaining the blessing of donating life. This year, Raul will celebrate his 30th anniversary with his high school sweetheart. -
At the age of 31, Raymond (Ray) Jones had almost grown used to feeling swollen, sluggish and short of breath — symptoms he attributed to his weight, as he was nearly 450 pounds. During a dental appointment, Jones's soaring blood pressure kept him from having anesthesia, and he was immediately sent to the hospital, where a grim reality surfaced: end-stage renal disease. Jones began a rigorous, decade-long dialysis routine. At the time, his weight made him ineligible for a kidney transplant. Determined to turn the tide, Jones embarked on a weight loss journey. He quickly lost about 60 pounds and qualified for a bariatric procedure that he hoped would lead to more substantial weight loss. Within three years of the surgery, he'd shed more than 250 pounds. He joined the national kidney transplant list in 2020 and finally received the call that would forever change his life. Jones became the 10,000th kidney transplant recipient at UCLA Health. -
At 17 years old, Rhonda Hill was diagnosed with severe juvenile diabetes and learned that most people with her condition do not live past 40. Though she continued to live a full life, giving birth to her son Corey and pursuing her passion for horses, Rhonda was put on dialysis when her kidneys began to fail in her 30s. Life became a struggle as she combated low blood sugar with the assistance of her parents, young son, and local EMTs. In October of 2000, Rhonda got the call she had been waiting on for 18 months – a stranger's end-of-life decision would give her a second chance. "My donor saved two other people that night – my kidney brother, as I call him, Salvador, and my liver brother, Phil. And I know she changed the lives of many others that same night in October of 2000 with her gifts. I think of her and thank her every day." -
Somone Washington had just finished graduate school when she was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure. Over five years after being diagnosed, Somone received the gift of life through a kidney transplant. An 18-year-old man lost his life to gun violence, and his family decided to give Somone a second chance. Since beginning a new chapter, Somone has started a new life in California. She has been able to develop her career, including becoming a Software Analyst at a local university. She has also started her own business, Kiasi Technology Solutions, which seeks to help increase the quality of life for those of a more mature age through basic computer and software education. Somone is most grateful for the invaluable time that she has been afforded to spend with family and friends. "Please consider becoming an organ donor," says Somone. "Be a hero and leave your life legacy with someone who is waiting for a second chance at life." -
Ted, a third-generation Chinese American, was born in San Francisco in 1958 and continues to reside in The City. After graduating from college, he married, had two kids, and worked, looking forward to retirement, like everyone else. In December 2019, Ted's life changed forever when he was admitted to California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where he learned he had developed heart failure and would need a heart transplant. After waiting for seventy two days, Ted was told he would receive his second chance at life on Valentine's Day 2020. Unaware of his donor's story for almost two years, Ted found out his donor was high school senior Joe Barratt, a hit-and-run accident victim in Concord, CA. Joe's mom, Leslie, and Ted have met many times, and each time, he tells her how grateful he and his family are for the gift of life he received, while he lives each day honoring Joe's legacy.