PASADENA, CA (WTAQ) – A northeast Wisconsin woman and a former Green Bay Packers’ star raised awareness of organ donations, by riding on a float in Thursday’s Tournament of Roses Parade.
Jackie Pische of Gillett and 1970’s Green Bay running back John Brockington — both organ or tissue recipients — were among 30 people who rode on the “Donate Life” float in Pasadena.
Brockington’s wife Diane was among a dozen who walked with the float.
Pische is the mother of Joshua Richards, who was shot and killed in December of 2013 at the Luna Lounge in Appleton. Richards was an organ and tissue donor. Several people, including his mother, have received those.
Brockington met long-time Packer fan Diane Scott when he moved to San Diego after his playing days. Diane offered to give Brockington a kidney in late 2001 — and it’s still works perfectly 14 years later.
When he returned to health, Brockington and Scott married. Today, they run the John Brockington Foundation to raise awareness of organ and tissue donations, while raising funds for those on dialysis who wait for transplants.
Brockington became the first running back in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. This season, Eddie Lacy became only the second Packer to match Brockington’s feat after two seasons.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
