The Donate Life float was part of a national initiative to help share the importance of donation with millions of people who either visited host city Pasadena , Calif ., or tuned in to watch the Rose Parade . This was the 12th year that Legacy of Hope sponsored the Donate Life float , which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023 .
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Parsons was a well-known personality as part of the Southeast Cross Country Association , an off-road dirt bike racing organization that spans Alabama , Mississippi , and Tennessee . He was involved in a dirt bike accident in September 2021 and ultimately succumbed to his injuries , leading to him being declared brain-dead .
Parsons ’ legacy But that was not the end of his story , nor his legacy . Parsons was an organ donor , and although his organs were not viable for donation , there was still an opportunity for him to leave a remarkable legacy by offering hope to thousands of people on organ donation waitlists . His legacy began taking shape on Sept . 30 , 2021 , when the Parsons family agreed to allow him to be part of the world ’ s first-of-its-kind xenotransplantation study at UAB Hospital and Legacy of Hope .
Parsons was the first person to have two genetically modified pig kidneys transplanted into his abdomen after his native kidneys were removed . The kidneys were procured from a pig at a clinical-grade , pathogen-free facility and transported to UAB , and they were modified with 10 key gene edits that made them suitable for direct clinical-grade therapeutic use in humans . The process demonstrated how such a transplant would work in a real-world application , while providing crucial safety data about its efficacy .
The study was published in the American Journal of Transplantation on Jan . 20 , 2022 . Jayme Locke , M . D ., MPH , director of the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute ( CTI ) and lead investigator for the study , proposed that this preclinical human model be forever known as The Parsons Model .
“ What the Parsons family has done through this generosity not only helped us move the field of xenotransplantation forward , but Mr . Parsons
Jim Parsons ( right ) and family uabmedicine . org / refertransplant 39