Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/635316
t m c » p u l s e | j a n / f e b 2 0 1 6 31 P eyton was joined at the parade by another family from the Texas Medical Center, Monica and Marilyn Burnom. The Burnoms were on the Donate Life float. Monica, of Houston, Texas, was diagnosed with lupus and received treatment at Houston Methodist Hospital. "I had been waiting for a kid- ney for five years and I got a call in January 2014 saying they had found a match. I felt very blessed," Monica said. "At the last minute, they realized there was a tumor on that kidney and it could not be used. In March of that year, when they called me the second time, the kidney was a match." Her mother, Marilyn, had been working for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and did not real- ize the importance of the Donate Life Registry until her daughter was on the list. To share her daughter's story and inform others, Marilyn urged Monica to submit her story to the DPS website. After the submission, the two were selected as delegates for the Donate Life America float at the 2016 Rose Parade. H O U S T O N FA M I LY J O I N S D O N AT E L I F E FO R R O S E PA R A D E The Houston Ballet hand made a costume for Peyton to wear on the Northwestern Mutual float in the 2016 Rose Parade. We had this idea to tie our involvement with the Rose Bowl game with our passion to cure pediatric cancer. — JEFF REETER Managing Partner at Northwestern Mutual (Float photo credit: Northwestern Mutual)