HEY EVERYONE! IT'S MISS VINNIE! WELCOME TO MY BLOG!
This is the sacred place for me to share behind-the-scenes stories about my personal transplant journey! I decided to begin 2025 reflecting on the day that it began; the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Years Day and the tragic events that occurred a week after this historic event in Pasadena, California.
Participating in the 136th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade as a One Legacy Correspondent was truly an incredible way to begin the New Year!
OneLegacy is the nation’s largest OPO, serving the diverse Southern California region. Working with hospitals, physicians, transplant centers and the community, OneLegacy educates about and facilitates donation, as well as builds a community of long-term support for the families who give the generous gift of life.
As a former OneLegacy Ambassador for over eight years, I was privileged with the opportunity to be an Honored Rider on the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade Float in 2020. It was truly "The Ride of A Lifetime!" as well as a truly memorable experience that I will treasure forever!
But this year my return to the great City of Pasadena was unique as I had the incredible opportunity to be approved for the very first time as a CREDIENTIALED MEDIA CAMERAPERSON for the Rose Parade!! ABOUT TRANSPLANT LIFE was an official part of the Tournament of Roses Parade! This amazing opportunity was far too big for me to tackle alone. All I had to work with was a raggedy iPhone 13 and a wobbly tripod! I needed HELP to execute this assignment in excellence; and so I immediately thought about my dear friend Marc "The Kidney Fighter" Coronel!
Marc @kidney_fighter is a thriving kidney transplant recipient who is soaring high within the transplant community and beyond in his efforts to raise awareness about the importance of kidney health and organ donation. And he is a beast in front of and behind the camera!
On Monday December 30, I patiently endured the hectic traffic of the busy 10 freeway from Los Angeles to Pasadena to pick up my treasured MEDIA CREDITIALS at the Historic Tournament of Roses Headquarters. I had been to the grand white house many times over the years; but this day was special! Excitement was in the air, and everyone was in a festive mood in great anticipation of THE BEST DAY EVER!
With the generous support of my friends at OneLegacy Foundation, I was able to capture behind-the-scenes footage at the Rose Parade Float Judging Ceremony on New Years Eve! This is a once in a lifetime exclusive event where Float Judges critic the elaborately decorated floats to determine the winning design by selected categories.
Everyone is always on pins and needles awaiting the magical moment when the OneLegacy Donate Life Float will be judged based on design, presentation, theme, execution of natural materials and other criteria. I also had the singular opportunity to interview several of the honored Walkers and Riders that participated in this year's parade!
On the OneLegacy Donate Life Rose Parade Float, the koi fish scales highlight memorial floragraph portraits. Floragraph portraits from organic materials represent donors who gave the gift of life. The windsocks soar over a garden of flowering trees featuring stone lanterns and a beautiful bridge. Organ, eye, and tissue recipients ride on the float, sharing their gratitude for their donors’ gift of life. Living donors walk alongside the float, showing the power of living donation.
The OneLegacy "Let Your Life Soar" Rose Parade Float showcases the Japanese culture and the tradition of Children’s Day, or Kodomo no Hi in Japan. Children’s Day occurs during Golden Week, a collection of four national holidays celebrated within seven days and one of Japan’s three busiest holiday seasons. Families raise their carp-shaped windsocks in Japan, which have been flying for generations. In Japan, the koi fish represent strength, courage, and health.
What an amazing opportunity for this fellow heart transplant recipient to experience; seeing other transplant recipients and donor families following the same journey that I was blessed to experience five years ago! It was very emotional to say the least. I am beyond honored to be a part of that historic event.
The New Years Eve Celebration (hosted by OneLegacy) did not disappoint! We dined sufficiently, sipped accordingly and danced in our fancy new clothes until 9PM when the clock struck twelve on the East Coast! We all knew that we need to get plenty of rest in order to prepare for the early day ahead.
On New Years Day we walked the long route to Colorado Blvd at 5:00 am PST at MEDIA STATION 2 along with the other Media Camerapersons that were eager to capture the parade! I proudly rocked my official ABOUT TRANSPLANT LIFE MERCH (available on our website) armed with my MEDIA credentials, my raggedy iPhone and my wobbly tripod! I forgot that we were not allowed to bring chairs as it was STANDING ROOM ONLY so I rushed over to the neighborhood RALPHS to purchase the very last seat cushion on sale for a whopping five bucks and promptly sat my behind on the curb!
Thank God Marc arrived with his state-of-the-art camera equipment to capture the highlights of The Rose Parade for us to share on social media. Not only was I happy that he arrived, I was extremely happy that he agreed to climb the seven-foot tall scaffold to get to our designated camera station, because Miss Vinnie was not about to climb them scary little steps!
After a long, exciting day of watch the brilliant bands marching, floats gliding and decorated horses prancing, I must say that the highlight of my day was watching the OneLegacy float glide down Colorado Boulevard in all of its splendor! After months of hard work by hundreds of volunteers, LET YOUR LIFE SOAR was this year's winner of The Extraordinaire Award! And it was very well deserved!
FROM GREAT JOY TO EXTREME SORROW
We had no idea that literally one week later, the beautiful cities of Pasadena and Altadena would be ravished by horrific wildfires; literally destroying hundreds of homes and businesses, resulting in the worst catastrophe in the history of California.
Our dear friend and fellow OneLegacy Ambassador Gerald Freeny and his family lost their homes in the Eaton fire. Gerald is a long-time historic resident of The City of Altadena who suffered great loss due to this horrendous disaster. A Go-Fund-Me page has been set up to help the Freeny Family recover from this devasting loss. If you would like to make a contribution to their recovery efforts, please click below. Any amount is greatly appreciated.
Let us continue to prayerfully support all of the families; men, women and children affected by the Los Angeles County Wildfires. Our condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones due to the fires.
I would not be a FRIEND if I did not remind you of the fact that the most important relationship you can EVER have is a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD through Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Remember this: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus) that whoever believes in Him (Jesus) would not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
No matter what you are going through: Remember that JESUS LOVES YOU! All you have to do is BELIEVE.
I am absolutely convinced that I am alive because of the grace and mercy of God, and the generous gift from my organ donor! GOD IS A VERY PRESENT HELP IN TIMES OF TROUBLE.
If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross at Calvary for your salvation; that God raised Jesus from the dead and that he is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, then I invite you to PRAY this very simple prayer than will change your heart, life and mind for ETERNITY. It's that important!
PRAYER OF SALVATION
Dear God, I thank You for giving Your only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins. I confess that I AM a sinner. I REPENT of all my sins. Come into my heart, come into my life. Cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Teach me Your Word. Guide and direct my path. And because of the redemptive work of the cross I AM NOW A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST JESUS! IN JESUS NAME. AMEN!
CONGRATULATIONS! You have just made the most important decision in your life. Now, please make sure that you tell your family and friends that you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior today! And encourage them to do the same! Surround yourself with like minded believers. Read your bible every day. Trust in God. Give the Lord praise! Your life will never be the same.
REMEMBER THIS: You are never alone! Our Lord and Savior is with you forever!!
Blessings to you and your family, Miss Vinnie
PLEASE VISIT OUR MERCH STORE
Lavinia "Miss Vinnie" Brooks is a Heart Transplant Recipient from Los Angeles, California.
She is also a former OneLegacy Ambassador, and the Host/Producer of About Transplant Life with Miss Vinnie LIVE on Facebook which airs EVERY THURSDAY EVENING at 5:00 pm PST. She also produces content for cable public access television through Pasadena Media Studios in Pasadena, California.
Please visit her website: AboutTransplantLife.com for more information.