Ceremony honors South Lake Tahoe teen for organ donation
mjacobson@tahoedailytribune.com
SOTUH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — A gathering of family, friends and first responders Saturday at Genoa Town Hall honored South Lake Tahoe teenager Kimber Palma who, along with her grandmother, was killed in a car crash four years ago.
“I’m reminded every day [of her daughter] but I was just reminded again what a positive impact Kimber has on people’s lives,” said Kimber’s mother Morgan Palma. “It’s been four years since the accident, and she is still having an impact on people.”
The 13-year-old Palma and her grandmother passed away in 2017 in a car accident, and since then, Morgan and her family have lived with Kimber in their memory every day.
On Saturday, a floragraph, which is a picture of Kimber created from natural materials, was available to decorate for those who knew and loved Kimber ahead of its feature on the Donate For Life float in the Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1, 2022, which Morgan will attend.
The event was sponsored by Nevada Donor Network, who is flying Morgan to southern California for the parade. NDN sponsored the floragraph through partnerships with the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, the Nevada Department of Public Safety through the Nevada Highway Patrol, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
“It was an emotional event because it was the first time that I had any contact with some of the first responders on the scene,” said Morgan. “But it was a really beautiful event. Both sides of the family got to come, a person from the Sheriff’s Office spoke, a lot of people got to find out about the Nevada Donor Network. I also got to speak at the event and paid tribute to my daughter.”
“It’s special for our team to be able to honor Kimber and the hero that she is,” said NDN President and CEO Joseph Ferreira. “The legacy she left behind through tissue donation is incredibly impactful. Kimber’s memory continues through the lives she changed as well as in the hearts of all the family and friends who love her.”
Kimber gave to others through the donation of tissue and corneas after she passed away.
After paying tribute to Kimber, everyone at the event walked over to River Fork Ranch.
“There was a bench dedicated to Kimber there and we did a nature walk in her honor,” said Morgan.
But Morgan said that even if she’s not able to use the bench, she is still able to honor her daughter in her life through her mindset.
“The way I honor Kimber every single day is by choosing happiness and choosing positivity,” said Morgan. “Kimber always lived by the motto, ‘Treat others the way you want to be treated.’ So something I do, I call it ‘Kindness for Kimber,’ and I go out and do random acts of kindness.”
Morgan said through paying it forward, anyone can honor Kimber and her grandmother.
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