'Hailey wanted to save lives': Jackson teen's organ donation lauded on Rose Parade float

Jerry Carino, Asbury Park Press
·4 min read

In 2017, after Jackson Memorial High School sophomore Hailey Palumbo suffered fatal injuries in a car accident, her mother was approached about donating the 15-year-old’s organs.

“My first reaction was, no,” Janet Palumbo recalled. “You’re in shock at that point.”

Then a family member pointed out that Hailey’s career goal was to become a surgeon. Janet rethought her stance.

“Hailey wanted to save lives,” she said. “What better way to save lives than through organ donation?”

So Hailey’s heart, lungs, liver and kidneys were transplanted into five critically ill people. Two would wind up in contact with the Palumbo family, forging deeply meaningful bonds. On Jan. 2 their story will have a national stage as Hailey’s image appears on a float in the storied Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif.

The family Hailey Palumbo at the Jackson Township Fire Department for the unveiling of a floragraph tribute to Hailey that will be featured on a Rose Parade float. Pictured left to right are Ray Wetstein, Hailey’s stepfather; Morgan Palumbo, Hailey’s sister; Janet Palumbo, Hailey’s mother; Ashley Wetstein, Hailey’s stepsister; and Nicholas Wetstein, Hailey’s stepbrother.

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The Donate Life float, which has been part of the parade since 2004, will carry the floragraphs — large portraits created with floral materials — of 44 organ donors.

“It’s beautiful,” said Janet Palumbo, who will be visiting California for the first time to participate in the parade and meet the floragraph’s designer. “Every time I think about it, I break into tears. It’s going to be an emotional trip, but my family can’t wait to go. We’re so excited.”

Janet said she knew about the float but never expected Hailey’s image to be selected for inclusion.

“When the call came, I was speechless at first,” she said. “It’s a great honor for my daughter.”

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Hailey Palumbo
Hailey Palumbo

'Crying and hugging and sharing'

Hailey’s organ donations were facilitated by NJ Sharing Network, a statewide nonprofit that holds a large walk/run fundraiser in Long Branch each spring. The network also helps mediate communication between donor families and recipients if sought by either party. Correspondence sometimes ensues, but because such encounters are fraught with emotion, meetings and the forming of relationships are rare.

In the Palumbo family’s case, it’s happened twice.

The recipient of one of Hailey’s kidneys, John Farina of River Vale in Bergen County, sent a steady stream of letters to the Palumbos before he died in 2020.

“Phenomenal guy who wrote me unbelievable letters, telling me all the things he was able to do because of Hailey’s gift to him,” Janet Palumbo said. “He called her his angel and said he loved her even though they never met. I cried each time.”

Hannah Tucker, a 14-year-old in Pennsylvania, received Hailey’s liver and later, an invitation from the Palumbos to join them at the walk/run in Long Branch.

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Hannah Tucker, who received a liver from Hailey Palumbo.
Hannah Tucker, who received a liver from Hailey Palumbo.

“Hannah, without a second thought said, ‘yes, yes, yes, let’s go,’” Hannah’s mother Christine Hargreaves said. So we got a bunch of people together and signed up.”

This was the second liver young Hannah had received, and she’d also met the first donor family.

“We want to bring some joy and sense of meaning to the donor family, to see their loved one living on,” Hargreaves said. “It felt like we were a family instantly. There was a lot of crying and hugging and sharing pictures and videos and stories between us.”

A widespread impact

Hannah is 19 now, and she and her mother will be tuning into the Rose Parade Jan. 2, looking for the Donate Life float and Hailey's floragraph.

“I think that’s incredible, just incredible,” Hargreaves said. “The poise and grace and dedication (the Palumbos) have to raising awareness for organ donation is amazing. Especially in my family, this is so important.”

Hargreaves' brother, now 29, underwent a heart transplant as an infant.

“Without organ donation, I wouldn’t have these loved ones in my life,” she said.

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The impact also is felt throughout Hailey Palumbo’s circle. When her friends got their driver’s licenses, many signed up to be organ donors. Hailey’s sister, Morgan, works for NJ Sharing Network as a hospital service manager.

“You don’t realize the impact of organ donation unless you’re in it,” Janet Palumbo said. “When you talk with people who’ve received an organ about the second chance in life they have, whether it be a few more years or a long time, it’s phenomenal.”

That impact is why there’s a float at the Rose Parade dedicated to people like Hailey Palumbo, whose dream of saving lives came true.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rose parade float pays tribute to Jackson NJ teen organ donor