TOLEDO -- When Quinn Vittorio Wilde passed away from complications with seizures at less than three months old, Quinn's family donated his heart valves to help others. Quinn's mother honored his memory on New Year's Day aboard the Donate Life float in the Rose Parade.
The American Association of Tissue Banks' Donate Life float honored 72 organ and tissue donors. Each donor was represented on the "Journeys of the Heart" float in individual floral portraits. With help from Toledo's Community Tissue Services, Quinn's family helped put the finishing touches on his floragraph on December 17th.
Quinn's mother. Denien Wilde, traveled cross-country to Pasadena, California to represent her son in the annual Rose Parade.
"This has been one of the most powerful and significant events in my life, and I could not be more grateful," Wilde said. "My heart is so full and I cannot stop smiling!"
Although Denien was the only family member to ride on the Donate Life float, Wilde's daughter and mother also made the trip to cheer her on from the crowd.
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