HOPE BLOOMS
The first-ever behind-the-scenes account of Rose Parade float participation chronicles the genesis, evolution and institution of Donate Life’s renowned presence in one of America’s most cherished events.
In 2001, lung transplant recipient Gary Foxen shared his vision of an organ donation-themed float in the Rose Parade as a way to thank donors and celebrate what transplantation makes possible. Bryan Stewart, recently hired into the field, saw an even greater possibility: to inspire millions of Americans to choose to be organ, eye, and tissue donors.
Hope Blooms: Organ Donation, the Rose Parade, and Our Journey to Save Lives [Advantage|ForbesBooks, 2018] introduces readers to the people, events, and moments of joy, sorrow, and grace that helped position the cause as life-affirming and contribute to dramatic increases in the public’s willingness to donate.
For the first time ever, Hope Blooms takes readers behind the scenes to reveal what it takes to enter a floral float in one of the nation’s most cherished events. Filled with insightful and emotional anecdotes illuminating the Donate Life Rose Parade Float’s life-saving mission, Hope Blooms has been hailed as an “inspiring” “must-read” that “movingly chronicles” a story that “put[s] humanity front and center.”
