A MATTER OF BODY AND SOUL FAMILIES OF ORGAN DONORS CONNECT AS THEY DECORATE ROSE PARADE FLOAT.

Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Special to the Daily News

PASADENA -- Maria Aguilar hasn't met any of the seven people whose lives were saved by her daughter's organ and tissue donations.

But Aguilar, whose 19-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, was six months pregnant when an acute rise in her blood pressure caused fatal brain hemorrhaging on Jan. 1, 2005, said Tuesday the letters she's received from recipients have provided comfort.

``It made me very happy,'' the Lancaster woman said through a translator, fighting off tears. ``I answered right away.''

On Tuesday, Aguilar and her sister-in-law -- also named Maria Aguilar -- were among dozens of Southland family members of organ and tissue donors assembled at Pasadena's Rose Palace decorating a float to advance their cause that will be on display at Monday's Rose Parade.

Later this week, family members of hundreds of organ and tissue donors from throughout the nation and Canada will dress up the colorful 50-foot-long float that will carry 23 living organ donors.

Eight gift boxes

The symbol-rich float features eight gift boxes representing the number of organs that can be donated and 50 bouquets signifying the number of lives that can be saved by a single tissue donor. It also has a three-loop ribbon symbolizing the number of lives that can be saved by a single blood donation.

The float's ``Giving From the Heart'' theme fits the parade's overall ``Our Good Nature'' seamlessly, said Tom Mone, chief executive officer of One Legacy, a Southland organ and tissue donor umbrella group that is among many regional groups operating under the Donate Life rubric.

``We hope it sends out the message that there is good that comes to those who give, not just those who receive,'' Mone said. ``Everyone knows the recipients of life-saving organs benefit, but the benefits to the donor family is the great surprise to all of us, and that's the nice thing.''

Family members of donors spent part of Tuesday afternoon clipping petals off flowers and pasting them on the float. Fresh flowers will be placed on Friday.

Source of comfort

Nadine Jauregui, a 25-year-old Pasadena woman, said being involved in Tuesday's decoration honored the memory of her older brother Juan, whose organs saved four lives.

``It does comfort me because I know that because of him, other people are able to enjoy life the way he did,'' she said.

Aguilar said being involved in decorating the float has a therapeutic effect.

``When I talk to other families, things keep coming up and I feel better,'' she said. ``The more I talk, the better I feel.''

Mone said prospective donors can ensure that their organs and tissue are available to those in need by checking the appropriate box at the DMV when they renew their driver's license, or by logging on to www.donatelifecalifornia.org. He said blood donors should contact their local Red Cross office.

``It's very important for us to be educated so others don't have to suffer,'' Aguilar said.

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Maria Aguilar of Lancaster attaches beans to a Rose Parade Parade float in Pasadena. Aguilar, whose late daughter, Elizabeth, was an organ donor, is among family members of organ and tissue donors who are helping to decorate the float.

(2 -- ran in AV edition only) Maria Aguilar of Lancaster wears pictures of her late daughter, Elizabeth, and grandson, Ezra, as she helps decorate a Rose Parade float in Pasadena. The 50-foot-long float will carry 23 living organ donors on New Year's Day.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer