St. Pete high school football star who collapsed on the field to represent organ donation in Rose Parade
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - An image of a St. Petersburg high school football player will be seen across the country to draw attention to the importance of organ donation.
On Wednesday, Jaquez Welch’s family put the finishing touches on a floral portrait of the 18-year-old at Bayfront Health, so it can be added to Donate Life’s float in the Rose Parade in January.
Welch, who was a star football player for Northeast High School, collapsed on the field during a game in 2019. He died two weeks later from an undiagnosed and rare condition called an arteriovenous malformation, which causes bleeding on the brain. Doctors said Jacquez was most likely born with the condition that caused an abnormal connection between arteries and veins in the brain.
"He made a 60-yard touchdown and the next play is when he went down. So, he went out like a champ. Like, I couldn’t see it any other way - on the football field," shared his mother, Marcia Welch.
Jacquez Welch’s kidney, pancreas, liver, lungs and heart were donated to five separate people.
Jaquez Welch’s family put the finishing touches on a floral portrait of the 18-year-old at Bayfront Health Wednesday.
"He’s living in other families so even though I feel like he’s with me all the time," Marcia Welch stated. "Everybody tells me he’s in me he’s with me. I feel like he’s with them now too. Also, like he’s still living. He’s still moving around making moves even though he’s not here."
RELATED: Jacquez Welch’s mom says her son's death is the start of his life-saving journey
Marcia Welch was with her son the day he applied to get his driver’s license, the same day he decided to become an organ donor.
"He asked me what it was, and I was like, ‘It’s something that if you can’t take with you that still works in your body, then it goes to somebody else to help save a life,’" she explained.
She said her son didn’t hesitate with his decision.
Jacquez Welch's heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas and liver were donated and saved the lives of five people.
"His comment was, ‘Yeah, well, if I can’t use it then somebody else could use it.’"
Neither of them expected his statement to come true as soon as it did.
Jacquez Welch mural honors his past at Northeast High, raises awareness about AVM
Jacquez Welch's mom already cried sad tears, but now it's time for some happy, nostalgic ones. A mural, which features Jacquez Welch, greets everyone who files into the football field where he collapsed in 2019. It's not only a touching tribute to his family, but it also is a reminder of how he died and brings awareness to the rare disease that went undiagnosed.
"The heart went to somebody, the lungs, the liver and the right kidney went to somebody, and the left kidney and pancreas went to somebody," Marica Welch explained.
READ: Organ donor, 27, saves the lives of multiple people: ‘He has given life to others’
LifeLink typically gets an average of up to 200 donor applications per day statewide, but the day Jacquez Welch's story went public, applications spiked more than 660.
Jacquez Welch suffered from undiagnosed and rare condition called arteriovenous malformation.
"My tragedy changed other people’s lives," Marcia Welch said. "So, for me, it might be a tragedy, but for them, it’s just the beginning when he donated his organs."
Each year, Donate Life has a float in the nationally televised Rose Parade to bring attention to the importance of organ donation.
Jacquez Welch was 18-years old when he collapsed on the field while playing football for Northeast High School.
The Donate Life float features floragraphs, floral portraits of individuals who have given the gift of life through organ donation, from around the country and the upcoming parade will feature Jacquez Welch.
Marcia Welch says she hopes her son’s story inspires others to donate.
Jacquez Welch's floral image will appear on the LifeLink float during the 2023 Rose Parade.
The first responders and health care workers who treated Jacquez Welch also wrote notes honoring him that will be put in a dedication garden on the float.
According to Susan Rabel, executive director of LifeLink of Florida, 105,000 people are on the waiting list for an organ nationwide and 17 people on that list die every day.
LINK: For more information on organ and tissue donation, click here.