Local Resident and Tissue Recipient Kate Taylor one of 28 Riders to Inspire ...One More Day Aboard the 2012 Donate Life Rose Parade® Float

INDIANAPOLIS, IN, Dec 20, 2011 – Trafalgar resident and tissue recipient, Kate Taylor, will be one of the 28 riders on the Donate Life Rose Parade float in Pasadena, California.  Kate Taylor will start the New Year with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by representing the organ, eye and tissue donation community on the Donate Life Float in the Rose Parade January 2nd.

At the age of 4, Taylor was diagnosed with aortic valve insufficiency and knew she would need a heart valve tissue transplant one day; but that day came sooner than she thought at the age of 22.  Taylor stopped for a quarterly heart check-up and ended up enduring open heart surgery.

Thanks to a transplanted aortic valve, Kate is alive and well. Kate wed the love of her life 29 days after surgery. She has gone on to study for her master's degree, travel, work and enjoy life. She was able to carry a pregnancy and give birth to a beautiful, healthy daughter. "For this, and so much more, I am forever grateful to the family who chose to help another during their most terrible tragedy," shared Taylor.

Taylor and her family will head to Pasadena, Calif. on December 29th to help decorate the float and participate in activities to promote donation.  Taylor shares her story as a tissue recipient hoping to inspire others to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.  “I’m truly honored and very excited to be on the float and to help spread the message about donation in such a beautiful and meaningful way,” said Taylor.

The theme of the Donate Life Float is “…One More Day”.  Through their life-changing experience, the families of organ, eye and tissue donors, living donors and recipients of life-saving transplants know intimately the preciousness of time.  On January 2, 2012, transplant recipients, living donors, and family members of deceased donors will join together to honor the preciousness of “One More Day” on the ninth Donate Life Rose Parade float.

Giant floral clocks will rise above 28 individuals whose participation as riders aboard Donate Life's Rose Parade float will bring special meaning to "One More Day" and embody the nation's most visible campaign to inspire people to save and heal lives as registered organ, eye, and tissue donors. 

Riders and floragraph honorees are individually sponsored by official partners who support the Donate Life Rose Parade float financially with the hope that their stories will inspire viewers to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.  Community Tissue Services and Cryolife, Inc. are sponsoring Taylor. 

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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 2010, CTS distributed more than 165,000 tissue grafts to 2,000 hospitals, physicians and surgeons.

For more information on Community Tissue Services, visit www.communitytissue.org or call 937.461.3364.  To view the heartfelt stories of tissue donors and recipients, and learn how you can become involved, visit Community Tissue Services at www.fiftylives.org.

© Community Tissue Services