SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A California teenager who donated his organs to save the lives of others will be honored at the 135th Rose Parade on New Year’s Day.
Joseph “Joe” Barratt, 18, was walking home from a library when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver near Highway 4 on Feb. 10, 2020. The popular Concord High School student spent three days in a trauma center at John Muir Health in Walnut Creek.
Doctors ultimately determined that his injuries were non-recoverable and Barratt was removed from life support on Feb. 13, 2020.
Shortly before the hit-and-run crash, Barratt visited a DMV office to get a new ID and he learned about organ donation. He decided to sign up at the DMV to be an organ donor.
“His sweet nature touched every single person who came into contact with him, and his beautiful smile left an impression on every person who was lucky enough to see it. It is only fitting that someone with a heart as big as Joe’s would save the lives of several others during his last moments on earth,” his family’s GoFundMe page states.
Barratt’s heart was received by a San Francisco man, Ted Jung. On February 14, 2020, the life-saving heart transplant was successfully made at Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center.
Jung said he feels fortunate to have a second chance at life. “I now have two birthdays and will never forget either,” the heart transplant recipient said.
Jung and Barratt were selected as honorees on the 2024 Donate Life Rose Parade Float for the annual Rose Parade held in Pasadena, Calif. A send-off event will be held Wednesday at Sutter’s California Pacific Medical Center, where the teen’s parents will be presented with a floragraph portrait of their son.