BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Dr. Larry Yokoyama's story has already spanned years, and 23ABC has followed that journey from the first plea all the way to the Rose Parade.
In 2016, Yokoyama started reaching out to the community, looking for a kidney donor. After four years of searching, on Christmas Day 2020, at Bakersfield Heart Hospital, Yokoyama received the greatest gift from organ donor Tamara McKeown.
This year, Dr. Yokoyama and his family will honor Tammy by carrying a florograph of her on the Donate Life float in the 2023 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. Tammy is the first organ donor from Bakersfield to be honored with a florograph in the Rose Parade.
One Legacy Ambassador Kathy Vochoska spoke about the phone call telling her there was a possible donor for Yokoyama.
"She said, 'Well, my best friend since childhood is at the heart hospital and has been declared brain dead, and she said the family would really like for - she was a registered organ donor - for her organs to be donated to someone locally,'" said Vochoska.
Due to the difficulty of matching blood types, if Tammy's organs were a match, Vochoska said it would be a miracle. In this case, a Christmas miracle.
"On Christmas Day, they received their gift of life, and all because Tammy had said yes to organ donation," said Vochoska.
Now, two years after that call, Tammy is being honored at the 2023 Rose Parade on the Donate Life float. The float will honor Tammy and other resting organ donors with florographs on a float of a Chinese dragon. Recipients like Yokoyama will ride the float while living donors will walk alongside.
Despite this occasion of honor, Tammy's family and organ recipients say they remember her every day.
"I touch my left side where Tammy is and I thank her," said Dr. Yokoyama. "I do."
Tammy's sister Teresa Brossard says that this is Tammy's way of helping the community even after her death.
"She was such a giver in so many ways, so it wasn't surprising when we found out she was an organ donor just by looking at her driver's license and seeing that pink don't on her driver's license," said Brossard. "Even through organ donorship, she continues to give after her passing."
Tammy's florograph is made out of natural spices and seeds, including farina, millet for the background, rice for the smile, coffee and tea for the hair, and a special flower for the eyes.
The florograph took nearly 8 hours to complete, and unlike parts of other floats at the Rose Parade, people will be able to take the florographs of donors home with them in order to continue celebrating their stories, including Tammy's.
The theme of the 2023 Tournament of Roses Parade is "Lifting Each Other Up." The parade kicks off Monday, January 2 at 8:00 am.
