MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A grieving South Florida family is finding comfort in their loved one’s legacy after he left this earth a true lifesaver.
Now, a parade float in his honor is raising awareness about organ donation.
It’s hard to see a positive side when someone dies, but Ricky Hurwitz’s family said the gift of organ donation has helped to give them some peace.
“That’s exactly an example and a reflection of my son’s entire way of living, so really, it exemplifies the person that he was,” Legia Maranon-Garcia said.
“He didn’t let little things that didn’t really matter affect him, you know, like, he always saw the bigger picture and like what life is really all about,” said Ricky’s brother, Robert Hurwitz.
There are more than 106,000 people on the transplant waiting list, with a new name added every nine minutes.
In 2018, Ricky, an 18-year-old high school graduate, was able to give some of those people a chance after he tragically died in a car accident, a trade off his family didn’t ask for but knew was right.
He donated seven organs to save five lives and improved the lives of two dozen others through tissue and cornea donation.
“I remembered the conversation my son and I had because he willingly wanted to become a donor,” said his mother. “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.”
Now, Ricky will be honored for that decision at the 134th annual Donate Life Rose parade in Pasadena.
His face, made of organic materials and flowers, will be displayed on a float.
The portrait, called a floragraph, was unveiled to the family on Thursday at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden where they were able to add the final touches.
All this is to spread awareness and show the impact that organ donation can have.
“More and more people go on the waiting list, so the waiting list grows, but the number of organ donors relatively stay the same,” said Patricia Darrigan, Legacy Donor Services Foundation.
“It really makes me feel better, so my mission is to help people not have to endure loss,” Maranon-Garcia said.
If you’d like to register to be an organ donor, click here.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.