El Dorado, Arkansas will be represented in the 2013 Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. The late David Fox who died at age 48 of a heart attack was an organ and tissue donor. A large memorial floragraph of him will ride on the Donate Life float, alongside 71 other portraits honoring deceased organ, eye and tissue donors. His widow, Liz Fox of El Dorado, will go to California to put the finishing touches on the floragraph, which uses crushed herbs and flower petals to follow the contours of David’s portrait.
"My prince is going to be introduced to the world on Jan. 1.," Fox said. "I can't think of anything more that I could ever do to tell the world what a hero he really is."
The floragraph will be on display at the Medical Center of South Arkansas until Thursday, Fox said, after which it gets flown back to California to be mounted on the float. Fox will be able to help build the float. The theme is "Journeys of the Heart."
"I will not only get to assist in doing every heart on the float, but I will get to be hand-in-hand with people who will talk about their loved ones with honor and grace, and not be afraid to talk about donation," Fox said.
David’s donation helped more than 100 people in 38 states, she said. Currently, more than 116,000 people are awaiting an organ transplant nationwide.