FLORIDA LIONS EYE BANK CELEBRATES EYE DONOR
RICKY HURWITZ
On November 3, 2022, Florida Lions Eye Bank attended an event at Miami Beach Botanical Gardens celebrating the life and legacy of eye, organ, and tissue donor Ricky Hurwitz. Alongside Ricky’s friends, family, and our partners Legacy Donor Services and Life Alliance Organ Procurement Organization, we commemorated the priceless gifts Ricky gave to two corneal transplant recipients, five organ transplant recipients, and dozens of tissue graft recipients.
Ricky tragically passed away in a car accident in 2018. He was just 18 years old at the time. Despite his young age, Ricky had spoken openly about his passion for donation.
“I remembered the conversation my son and I had because he willingly wanted to become a donor,” said his mother, Legia. “He thought about that on his own, so the fact that we already had that conversation when I was faced with this really difficult, horrible situation, I really knew that’s something we had to do and follow through on his wish.”
Every year, eye, organ, and tissue donors are honored during the Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA, where portraits of donors from across the United States are displayed on a floral-themed float sponsored by Donate Life America. Ricky’s portrait, made of flowers, seeds, and other plant materials, will adorn Donate Life America’s float on Monday, January 2, 2023. The portrait, called a floragraph, was unveiled to his family at the November 3 event.
Florida Lions Eye Bank is proud to show our community the impact that eye, organ, and tissue donation can have. We are immensely grateful to Ricky, his family, and all our eye donors, who make our work possible.
|