While many teenagers may hope for their first car or a new phone for their 16th birthday, Sparks resident, Lavender McKillip hoped for a gift that doctors told her she needed to save her life: a liver transplant.
McKillip began noticing issues with her growth at age seven and underwent years of testing, eventually receiving an autoimmune hepatitis diagnosis, which affects the liver. Fortunately, in May 2021, she underwent liver transplant surgery at UC San Francisco just after her 16th birthday.
To celebrate the impact of organ donation, Donor Network West and UCSF Health have invited McKillip to participate in the Rose Parade happening Monday, Jan. 2, 2023 in Pasadena, Calif. She will ride on the Donate Life float.
Now, McKillip is a thriving 17-year-old high school senior with a passion for books; she has led the creation and growth of the library at her school, Innovations High School, and is planning to become a librarian. She hopes that raising awareness of the importance of organ donation will make the world a better place for everyone.
"I'll do everything I can to show everyone the value of donation,” McKillip said. “It's the least I can do. Organ donation saved my life – it's only fair that I show people how to save others."
As the federally-designated organ procurement organization for northern Nevada and northern California, Donor Network West is a sponsor of the 2023 Donate Life Rose Parade float.
The float will feature dozens of participants from around the U.S. who are transplant recipients, living donors or are organ donors represented by memorial portraits. The Donate Life float aims to inspire viewers to register to become an organ donor.
There are currently more than 600 Nevadans on the organ transplant waiting list. Just one organ donor can save up to eight lives and heal up to 75 lives through tissue donation. Each registered organ donor gives hope to those on the waiting list.
Those interested in learning more about organ donation, or who want to register, can visit donornetworkwest.org
