A Floral Honor for Northland Organ Donor

By: Paige Calhoun | WDNO.com


"I just kind of wondered, why did my dad have to die? Everybody else gets a dad," said Heidi Peterson of Moose Lake. Peterson's father, Patrick Preston was electrocuted in Ada Minnesota back in 1987. Heidi was just three years old at the time--and as a result, has never really known her dad.

But Peterson did know that her father was an organ donor--so to learn more--she turned to a non-profit organization called Life Source, to help her find the recipients of his organs, "They knew where everyone was, there were 5 recipients, 4 had passed away and one was still alive--23 years later she still had my dad's kidney."

Life Source manages organ and tissue donation in the midwest and is now helping Peterson honor her father at this year's Rose Bowl Parade--in the form of a Floragraph, "The floragraph is a replica of one of the photos of my dad that will be displayed on a rose bowl parade float."

Peterson will be one of several families from across the county who get to participate. She left for Pasadena, California on Friday, and while she is thankful to Life Source for the invitation--she is even more grateful for the peace of mind they have given her from introducing her to Betty--the recipient of her father's kidney.

"If I had to say it, I'd say Betty was the most deserving person for my dads kidney. She's just a sweet lady, the things she's done in her life and where she's gone, and she's a nice person, so she deserved it," said Peterson.

Petersib said that becoming an organ donor is a personal choice, but she hopes that her story will encourage those who are not donors to see how the loss of her father was able to help someone else, "Looking at Betty I'm just like wow, you know that's part of my dad that's still alive inside of her so he's not completely gone and I don't think he ever will be."