Jesse Gamble honored in 2012 Rose Parade

While our goal at the Coalition is to reduce bicycling related deaths, we also must ensure that we do not forget those we have lost as we work for a safer future.

Jesse’s floragraph

Yesterday, we had an opportunity to again pay tribute to one of our own, Jesse Gamble. Jesse was killed by a drunk driver in August 2008 while riding his bike home from work over the Blossom Street Bridge. Today, the bike lanes on the bridge are named “Jesse’s Way” in his memory- but his impact on the community did not end there. As an organ donor, Jesse was able to save the lives of seven people, and for that gift, he will be honored on the 2012 Donate Life Rose Parade Float.

Donate Life’s parade presence has been a tradition since 2004 and brings awareness of organ donors’ kindness and generosity to over 40 million spectators and television viewers. Jesse is the first Columbia resident and fourth donor from South Carolina receive this honor. The opportunity to celebrate Jesse’s life and gift was made possible by Bridge to Life, a Columbia-based biotechnology company dedicated to improving the process of organ transplantation.

This year’s float, “…One More Day,” was designed to give the donors’ families one more day in remembrance and show the value of the donors’ gift of many more days to transplant recipients. It will feature “floragraphs” from across the country to be honored on this year’s float, 28 float riders- transplant recipients and donor families- representing the millions touched by organ donation and a Dedication Garden filled with roses and unique, personal messages from all over the country.

If you would like more information on how to become an organ donor, or how to confirm that you are one, please visit Donate Life SC. Broadcast coverage of the Rose Parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 2. The Donate Life Rose Parade Float is entry #41. If you are interested in watching, the parade will be shown on NBC, ABC, HGTV, Hallmark and Univision.