That’s a “floragraph” of longtime West Seattleite Kevin Johnston, destined to be part of a float at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, on January 2. It was completed today at Forest Lawn in West Seattle, where Mr. Johnston was laid to rest earlier this year at age 59. The floragraph will be part of a parade float promoting life-saving organ donations; Mr. Johnston’s skin, tendons, tissue, and corneas were donated when he died last May. The floragraph is made of flowers and other natural materials. Those there for its completion today included Mr. Johnston’s mother Carol Johnston:
She is a musician, as was her son (read more about him here) – they both played in the Duwamish Dixieland Jazz Band, which Mr. Johnston’s father founded. Carol said the idea of being in a parade would have pleased her son and his father – she and her husband played banjo in many local parades. The float that’ll feature Kevin Johnston’s floragraph – and that of other donors around the country – is described this way:
The Donate Life float, themed “Lifting Each Other Up,” celebrates the power of organ, eye and tissue donation, with donors and recipients working together to support one another. A beautiful Chinese street dragon is the centerpiece of the float. In Chinese culture, dragons symbolize great power and are considered a sign of good fortune and strength. Dragons bring prosperity and abundance to everyone. The colorful dragon weaves through flowering trees, lanterns and fans, and is emblazoned with 44 memorial floragraphs, representing those who have given the gift of life.
Mr. Johnston was recommended to float planners by Forest Lawn and its parent company Dignity Memorial.
P.S. At today’s event, we also talked with LifeCenter Northwest, about what prospective organ/tissue donors need to do. They stress that you need to make your wishes known in advance – either via registration or through your family – there’s no time for them to think it over afterward, because the donation process has to happen ASAP.
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