Carson High School graduate Jake Roman to be honored with memorial portrait in Rose Parade
Two days before his 21 birthday, Jan. 20, 2020, Carson City local Jake Sullivan Roman died from injuries he suffered in a tragic accident. As a registered organ donor, his liver and both kidneys saved three people.
Donor Network West, the only non-profit organization authorized by the federal government to facilitate organ donations throughout northern Nevada and northern California, will honor Jake and his family during this year’s Rose Parade happening Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in Pasadena, Calif.
Roman was an active athlete who enjoyed outdoor recreation and competed in football and wrestling at Carson High School. After graduation, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Nevada, Reno where he was top of his class. He was awarded his degree posthumously at the University’s Winter 2020 Commencement.
Donor Network West will honor Jake in a special ceremony where his parents, Susan and Blair Roman, along with his two siblings, will see his memorial “floragraph” portrait for the first time. Made entirely out of organic materials, Jake’s floragraph will be featured on the Donate Life parade float in the upcoming Rose Parade.
As a sponsor of the Donate Life float, Donor Network West will send the Roman family to Pasadena, Calif., to experience the Rose Parade firsthand and see Jake’s floragraph alongside other organ donor heroes, transplant recipients and living organ donors.
At the Thursday local ceremony ahead of the parade, Susan and Blair Roman will complete the floragraph portrait of their son, which was crafted by Donate Life parade float volunteers. There will also be a display featuring photos of Jake to honor his life and showcase his kind spirit and fun-loving sense of humor.
“Jake was such a positive person,” said Blair, Jake’s dad. “I never heard him talk badly about anybody, even his friends or people at school. I want people to know what a great human being he was.”
Thursday's program will be at 10 a.m., at Donor Network West’s northern Nevada headquarters located at 5440 Reno Corporate Drive, Reno.
Donor Network West is a sponsor of the 2024 Donate Life Rose Parade float, which will feature individuals from across the U.S. who are transplant recipients, living donors or are organ donors represented by floragraphs. The Donate Life float aims to inspire viewers to say yes to joining the national registry as organ donors and to give hope to the 100,000 people nationwide who are on the national transplant wait list.
Donor Network West works to reduce the wait for the approximately 700 Nevadans who are on the national transplant list. By educating communities about the life-saving impact of organ donation, Donor Network West and its partners encourage more people to join the registry as organ, eye and tissue donors.
Those interested in learning more, or who want to register as an organ donor, can visit DonorNetworkWest.org.