Kidney donor riding float in Rose Parade

Savage Pacer

Dr. Jim Haemmerle of Savage has made a living out of improving people’s lives through his work in the operating room. But perhaps the biggest impact he’s made was when he was on the operating table himself.

Haemmerle, an orthopedic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic’s branch in Menomonie, Wis., since 1978, donated a kidney to a stranger from rural Minnesota in February 2010. As a result, Haemmerle has been invited to ride Donate Life America’s float during the 123rd Annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 2.

Donate Life America is a not-for-profit alliance of national and state organizations across the United States committed to increasing organ, eye and tissue donation. Each year, the group designs a float with a new theme to be displayed in the parade, and the theme of this year’s float is “One More Day.”
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