Rose Parade Float Honors the Life and Gift of Ballwin Toddler

As they celebrate the holiday season, numerous individuals around the world continue to keep in their hearts and minds the little girl who saved their lives and the incredible and profound generosity of her parents. 

On January 2, 2012, the life and legacy of organ donor Kyndall Brown of Ballwin will be honored at the 2012 Rose Parade with a floragraph on the Donate Life America float. Through her story and image, Kyndall will continue to touch the hearts of so many and encourage millions of viewers worldwide to pledge to give the gift of life. 

The decision to donate

Kyndall was a curious, happy 17-month-old who loved exploring and all things Elmo. Her mother Jennifer remembers how Kyndall took things slowly so she could truly appreciate the world around her. 

In 2003, while eating lunch at her babysitter’s house, Kyndall choked and lost consciousness. She was immediately rushed to St. John’s Mercy Hospital where she was admitted to the PICU. For the next three days, as Jennifer and her husband Broc watched their daughter slip away, they saw through their own pain to think of other families facing the loss of a loved one. At the most heartbreaking time in their lives, when Kyndall was pronounced brain-dead, the Browns chose to donate her organs. 

Said Jennifer, “There were so many reasons we made the decision. The biggest one for me was when Kyndall was in the hospital, the PICU was on the same floor as the pediatric unit. I watched other parents walking the hallways, pulling their kids in wagons with the IV drips. From the moment we entered the hospital, we knew there was nothing we could do for Kyndall. But these families, whether they were waiting for a liver or a kidney or a heart – they had hope we didn’t. And they wouldn’t have hope if not for families like us. Through organ donation, we could save lives.” 

Because of the Browns’ decision, hope was given to recipients waiting for life-saving transplants. Kyndall’s heart valves and kidneys were donated, along with her liver which went to a toddler from Iceland who was in the U.S. waiting for a transplant. 

A legacy lives on

Over the past eight years, the Browns have spread the word about donation as volunteers with Mid-America Transplant Services (MTS) in St. Louis, the region’s organ procurement organization. The Browns speak regularly to groups about what donation has done for them in the grieving process, and Jennifer, a Creative Memories consultant, has offered memory workshops through MTS. In addition, to honor what would have been Kyndall’s fifth birthday, the Browns raised funds to help send another donor family to a biannual conference on donation. 

“The message of donation needs to be shared – thousands lose their lives every year because someone hasn’t made the pledge to donate,” Jennifer explained. “But volunteering also helps us keep Kyndall’s memory alive. When you have a child, you want to share her with the world. We felt we lost that opportunity to see her grow and tell her story. But MTS has given us the outlet to still share her message, to keep her alive with us and with the rest of the world.” 

To thank the Browns for their advocacy and to honor the life of their little girl, MTS is sponsoring a floragraph, or floral portrait, of Kyndall on the Donate Life Float, “…One More Day” at the 2012 Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif.  Kyndall’s portrait will join those of 71 other eye, organ and tissue donors, encouraging viewers to imagine one more day to remember a loved one, celebrate life and keep hope alive. 

On Sunday, December 18, Jennifer and Broc, along with their three sons, Kynan, Gabe and Braden, were able to put the final touches on Kyndall’s floragraph before it was placed on the float. And on January 2, the Browns will join numerous other donor families in California to watch the float celebrate the lives of so many individuals as it weaves its way through Pasadena. 

Said Jennifer, “The message is that donation crosses all ages, not just adults, and that beautiful children like Kyndall can continue to give something to this world. It’s such an honor that we’ll be there to see her smiling face on the float.” 

Kyndall is one of two donors from Missouri being honored with floragraphs at the parade. The other is Mariah West who saved numerous lives with her donation and whose mother continues to be an incredible advocate for both organ donation and safety behind the wheel. 

The 2012 Rose Parade will begin at 10 a.m. CST on Monday, January 2. To catch the parade, tune in to ABC, NBC, HGTV, the Hallmark Channel, or RFD-TV. For more information on “…One More Day,” visit www.donatelifefloat.org. 

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Blogger for SmartParenting