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Look for transplant survivors and their donor families in the Fiesta Bowl Parade Dec. 31.

Among the dozens of entrants in Friday’s Fiesta Bowl Parade will be Barb Davern, a St. Charles Borromeo parishioner, with a pro-life message of sorts. She’ll be among 24 fellow transplant recipients and donor family members from across Arizona carrying a large “Donate Life” balloon.

Davern received a double lung transplant in 2006–the same week one of her sons got married–after enduring a lifetime of breathing problems. It started with chronic asthma as a child. That scarred her lungs creating pockets which were prone to infections.

Davern was always on antibiotics and went on four liters of oxygen in the summer of 2005. By Valentine’s Day, she was on the transplant list and within a month, lungs became available. The 14-hour transplant was successful, albeit at the expense of missing her son’s wedding  three days later.

Now, Davern sings in the parish choir, spends time with her 10 grandchildren and promotes organ donation. She shares her story at church every November during Donor Sabbath Month and encourages at least a dozen people every year to register to be an organ donor upon their death.

“When you tell them the pope is for it, their eyes light up,” Davern said.

When Donor Network of Arizona asked Davern to be in the Fiesta Bowl Parade, her eyes lit up.

“Five years ago, I could barely walk,” Davern said. She marvels that she’ll now easily conquer a roughly two-mile parade route all while carrying a balloon.

“It’s a miracle. That’s all I can tell you. I’m a walking miracle. I can’t tell you why,” Davern said.

This marks the first time that Donate Life Arizona has been featured in the 40-year-old parade.

“Transplant recipients show courage every day in fully living their lives with the gifts they were given,” said Kris Patterson, media specialist for Donor Network of Arizona.

She also noted the  healing that families of organ and tissue donors go through knowing their loved one was a generous and compassionate person and gave life to others. She hopes that parade spectators, be they in-person or online, see the donor families and donor recipients and find encouragement to regisgter as an organ donor to save and heal lives.

As a side note, Eagle Scouts from throughout Arizona will carry the signs ahead of each parade entrant. There are at least 40 Catholic-chartered scouting units across the Phoenix Diocese with several of them earning the rank of Eagle Scout in recent years. See related articles.

The Fiesta Bowl Parade begins at 11 a.m. Dec. 31 in central Phoenix and will be broadcast live and commercial free on ABC15. Catch a live stream at www.abc15.com.