IOPO®: Indiana Organ Procurement Organization, Inc.

On Wednesday Pasadena had a day of much-needed rain, but our families spent a beautiful day working alongside other Donate Life volunteers on the float.  We’ve met so many wonderful people from across the country, all touched in some way by donation and transplantation.

One very special moment of the day was when, at Ryan’s request, he and Joann were allowed to help place the floragraphs of Chris and Phil on the float. Their floragraphs are in a wonderful location, very visible right in the center of the float. Joann hasn’t been told where she will be seated on the float yet, but there is a seat right below the floragraphs of Phil and Chris. Hmmmmm……..

 Below are just a few quick photos from the day.

Yes, that's our Joann, high up in the scaffolding, pasting flowers on the float!

During the parade, be sure to check out Joann's handywork in the flames high above the front of the float

Ryan spent a good part of the day climbing up and down the scaffolding, supplying his mom and other "petal pasters" with materials

Joann's nephew, Andrew, on the float pasting on flowers

Joann reads the dedication tag on an Indiana Rose

Joann's son, Ryan, places a rose on the float

Late Tuesday evening (actually 12:30 AM Wednesday Indiana time!) we had the honor of personally placing the dedicated roses from Indiana on the front of the Donate Life Float. Our families helped us read the  dedication tags aloud before placing each rose on the float. We carefully placed more than 100 roses, including 85 roses from Lutheran Hospital honoring each of their donors, and several roses dedicated by IOPO volunteers and other Indiana families. It was our pleasure and a privilege to help with this, and it will be one of many special memories of our Rose Parade experience!

We wanted to share just a few photos from each of the three events held here in Indiana as we completed the floragraph portraits of Philip and Christopher. Working on these unique tributes was a very meaningful experience for everyone involved. The finished floragraphs were returned to Pasadena last week, and we hope to see them for the first time as a part of the Donate Life float here in Pasadena later today!

Joann Nixon with the Glenwood students who helped with Phil's floragraph

Joann with Glenwood staff and their family members, including two transplant recipients, who also helped with Phil's floragraph

Joann and a Concordia student working on the floragraph of Chris

Concordia 3rd graders and Angie Owen, art teacher, finishing up "Mr. Phil's" floragraph

IOPO Friends/Volunteers (L-R) Tim Musser, Jay Franklin, Sally Harper and Phyllis Franklin put the finishing touches on the floragraph of Chris during a reception hosted by IOPO.

What an awesome time we had on Tuesday, December 15th, decorating the floragraphs at Concordia Lutheran School! Our thanks to all of the third graders for working with such care on the pictures of Christopher and “Mr. Phil”.  A BIG thank you to Concordia art teacher Angie Owen for her guidance and help with this very special project. You all did a wonderful job! We’ll add a picture or two to this post as soon as we overcome a few “technical obstacles.” 

Donate Life's 2010 Rose Parade Float

IOPO is proud to sponsor Joann Nixon, donor wife/mother, who will represent our Indiana donor families as a rider on the Donate Life float on New Year’s Day 2010. Floragraphs (portraits created from all natural materials) honoring Joann’s son, Christopher, and husband, Philip, as donors will also be a part of the Donate Life float.

Visit www.donatelifefloat.org to read more about the Donate Life float, the Nixon family, and the other 2010  float riders and floragraph honorees.