Michael “MG” Miller was a student at Lake Tapps Middle School in 2003 when a sudden accident took his life.

In the midst of heartache, his parents Mike and Suzanne made the decision to donate six of Michael’s organs to five people on a waiting list. There are approximately 100,000 people at any time on the recipient list for organ donation and 18 people die daily awaiting for matching organs.

The youngster was on a respiratory device for a while, which allowed time for recipients to be located.

“My wife has always been a firm believer in it,” Mike Miller said said of the donation program.

Miller said he hadn’t given donation much thought before and it didn’t occur to him to discuss it with Michael.

“You don’t talk to a 14-year-old son about this,” he said.

His son’s kidneys went to a 48-year-old woman in Seattle and a 52-year-old in Montana. His liver went to a 62-year-old man in Maine, his lungs were transplanted into a 64-year-old man in California and his heart went to a 53-year-old man in British Columbia.

In September an organization called Donate Life America, which works to educate the public about organ donation, contacted the Miller family and asked for permission to send MG’s photo for use in this year’s Donate Life America float. Mike Miller said the organization maintains records of organ donors.

Mike, Suzanne, and Michael’s brother Randall traveled to Pasadena, Calif., to decorate the portrait of MG which will be on the float, now in its seventh year, which will appear in the Rose Parade. The portraits of donors are called florographs, flowered portraits of the donors. This year’s Donate Life float features 74 florographs commemorating donors. The family is in Pasadena today,Wednes-day, to make finishing touches on the float and watch the parade from the grandstands Friday.

While in Pasadena, MG’s family met organ recipients and while recipients of his organs contacted his family, Miller said the family hasn’t met any of the recipients of MG’s organs because it’s emotionally draining, but he’s warming up to the idea of reaching out to them and has made himself available.

“At least opening up my door to them,” he said.

MG’s father now speaks to groups about the benefit of organ donaion.