PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
Juli Bartells kept a handwritten Post-it note in her wallet just in case her health ever failed her.
The double-sided, folded piece of paper had a message scrawled in cursive.
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“Please give the recipients of any of my organs my deepest and most sincere blessings,” Bartells wrote. “My wish for them is to go on and live a joyful life filled with laughter and lots of love!”
At the end of her letter, Bartells wrote her first name and drew a smiley face.
Bartells, who lived and worked in Bartholomew County and Jackson County, passed away May 3, 2019, at the age of 57 from an aneurysm.
Her daughter, Meghan McCormick, said she had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that led to her death.
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of inherited disorders that affect connective tissues, primarily in the skin, joints and blood vessel walls, according to mayoclinic.org.
Connective tissue is a complex mixture of proteins and other substances that provide strength and elasticity to the underlying structures in the body.
A more severe form of the disorder can cause the walls of the blood vessels, intestines or uterus to rupture.
“She had a brain aneurysm that we didn’t know about and collapsed at Total Fitness (in Columbus),” Meghan said. “They said she didn’t die right there, but she went into cardiac arrest. There was no coming back from when they did the images of her brain scan.”
While Bartells lost her life, she may have saved someone else, as she was an organ donor following her death.
Bartells’ memory recently was celebrated in a way her family never imagined: In front of millions of people across the globe.
Since 2004, Donate Life has entered a float in the Tournament of Roses Parade, which is held on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California. The 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization is committed to increasing organ, eye and tissue donation.
Nationwide, a record 36,500 organ transplants were performed in 2018 using organs from both deceased and living donors, according to Donate Life.
This year marked the sixth consecutive record-setting year for organ transplants in the United States, but more than 113,000 people currently are waiting for a transplant.
One donor can save the lives of up to eight people by donating their heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas and/or small intestines, and on average, one tissue donor can enhance the lives of up to 75 people by donating their corneas, skin, bones and heart valves.
More than 1.75 million lifesaving and healing tissue transplants are performed each year in the United States, and an average of 20 patients die every day while waiting because the organ they needed did not become available in time.
At this year’s parade, 935 volunteer members of the association drove the success of the 131st Rose Parade themed “The Power of Hope,” which was followed by the 106th Rose Bowl college football game.
The theme of this year’s float for Donate Life America was “Light in the Darkness.”
According to the organization’s website, the float highlighted the power of unity, light and love, as celebrated during southeast Asia’s Diwali, a celebration of light shining in the darkness.
The front of the float featured colorful rangoli, intricate circular designs made of rice and flowers, created to adorn the entrance of a home.
The rangoli housed thousands of individually dedicated roses to honor those who have saved and healed lives through the power of organ, eye and tissue donation.
Bartells, who moved from California with her husband, Bruce, daughter, Meghan, and son, Riley, to Indiana in 2008, was represented by a rose on the float.
“It was very touching to me,” McCormick said. “You always worry if someone’s legacy is going to live on or if people will move on when you have a void. It was cool to see that they not only honored her, but the entire float honored each person’s past.”
Two brass oil lamps, known as diya, also featured traditional peacock designs and were accompanied by three peacocks, symbols of new life.
Twenty-six organ, eye and tissue recipients or living donors were seated among the peacocks or walked alongside the float.
Floral displays overflowed from intricate vessels, adorned with 44 memorial floral portraits, honoring the gift of life and light given by organ, eye and tissue donors.
Charles Meier designed the float, and Fiesta Parade Floats produced it. At the parade’s end, the float received the judges award for most outstanding float design and dramatic impact.
Before parade day, McCormick put a message out on her Facebook page asking if anyone was going to the parade in hopes of getting a picture of her mom taken with the float.
She was flooded by messages, and before she knew it, she had strangers reaching out volunteering to help.
“It restores your faith in humanity,” McCormick said.
She received a photo of her mother’s name in front of the float and also one of a picture of an image of her and her mom next to the float.
Bartells owned White Creek Acres Wedding Farm and Event Venue in Bartholomew County and was well known in Bartholomew and Jackson counties.
Her venue was named one of the top 10 in Indiana for farm weddings and was featured by Martha Stewart, McCormick said.
Bartells was actively involved in the auction at Trinity Lutheran High School, where her son graduated in 2019. McCormick said her mom wanted to make sure kids could attend the school without worrying about financial needs.
McCormick recently posted a question online asking how they would describe her mother, and multiple people said she was a kind soul.
While the family might not ever hear from the person that receives Bartells’ organ, McCormick said she hopes that one day, they will.