Don Blair Selected as Floragraph Honoree on Donate Life Float in Rose Bowl Parade 

Beavercreek Parents Remind Us to Seize the Day and Give Life, Hope and Health by Registering as Organ, Eye and Tissue Donors

DAYTON, OH (December 14, 2010) – Don Blair was 24 years old when he died.  Through his gift of donation, Don saved the lives of six people and more than 50 others were enhanced by his gift of tissue.  Don is one of 60 people to be represented in “floragraphs” (artistic floral portraits) on the 2011 Donate Life Rose Parade Float, Seize the Day.

Floragraphs are artistic portraits created by using spices, seeds and other organic materials to cover a digitized photograph of the individual. The final image is realistic, recognizable and a fitting memorial to donors everywhere.  Each honoree shares the same legacy, saving and healing lives as an organ, eye or tissue donor. 

While some families will travel to Pasadena in December to decorate their loved ones’ floragraphs, Don’s portrait will be one of the portraits sent to families nationwide for completion in their hometowns. Ken and Ellen Blair will gather with friends and co-workers at Community Tissue Services on Wednesday, December 15th at 10:30 a.m. to place final touches on Don’s floragraph. “The location is especially meaningful to us because Don used to work at Community Tissue Services, and we are both part of the transplant community,” the Blair’s noted.

The Donate Life float's 60 floragraph honorees remind us that we can 'Seize the Day!' and give life, hope and health to those in need as organ, eye and tissue donors.  Flying a kite is an opportunity seized to share laughter, sun, wind, and the visual beauty of the moment. Through their life-changing experiences, the families of organ and tissue donors, living donors, and recipients of life-saving transplants teach us all a profound lesson: to “Seize the Day” and make the most of every moment to build dreams, friendships and memories with loved ones.

For more than 120 years, the Tournament of Roses Parade has been an American tradition. This year, Community Tissue Services, Life Connection of Ohio and Beavercreek residents Ken and Ellen Blair join a national campaign to celebrate and honor the lifesaving gifts of organ, eye and tissue donation as part of Donate Life’s 2011 Donate Life’s Rose Parade Float, Seize the Day. The float will be featured in the 122st annual Tournament of Roses Parade on Saturday, January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, CA.

According to Community Tissue Services and Life Connection of Ohio, there are more than 110,000 men, women and children in the U.S. awaiting a life saving organ transplant. Of those waiting, 3000 are Ohioans. Thousands more will require tissue and cornea transplants to restore mobility and sight. One organ and tissue donor can save and heal the lives of more than fifty people.  

Ohioans may register their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor in the following ways:

• Online at DonateLifeOhio.org.
• At the Bureau of Motor Vehicles when you obtain or renew your driver’s license or state ID card.
• By contacting Life Connection of Ohio at 1-800-535-9206 or online at www.LifeConnectionofOhio.org.

About Community Tissue Services
Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, Community Tissue Services (CTS) is a nonprofit quality, ethical provider of services to recipients, donor families, medical communities, and community partners through the respectful recovery, processing and distribution of tissue grafts.  CTS, an accredited member of the AATB, is one of the largest nonprofit tissue banks in the United States and operates regional offices in California, Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Idaho and Ohio.  In 2009, CTS distributed more than 150,000 tissue grafts to 2,000 hospitals, physicians and surgeons. For more information about Community Tissue Services, visit www.communitytissue.org.

About Life Connection of Ohio
Life Connection of Ohio (LCO) is an independent, non-profit organ procurement organization approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the designated organ procurement organization serving northwest and west central Ohio. LCO is accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations and provides services to 53 hospitals, as well as donation education to the 2.2 million residents within a 23 county service area.   For more information about Life Connection of Ohio or to register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.lifeconnectionofohio.org.

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