Rose Parade 2024: Kaiser Permanente float celebrates ‘symphony’ between caregivers, patients
Traci Green, a patient at Kaiser Permanente, and Dr. Arsine Henry, a physician at Kaiser’s Glendale offices, are excited to participate in the Rose Parade representing the health care provider.
Music and performing are a significant part of Sunland resident Traci Green’s life. As a five-year Kaiser Permanente ovarian cancer survivor, she said that besides the help of medical staff and medication, music also helped throughout her health journey.
“I’m very thankful to be part of the Kaiser network during such an incredibly tough time in my life and also it taught me the importance of self advocacy and self care,” she said.
Green is one of many other patients, physicians and staff who are part of Kaiser Permanente’s 2024 Rose Parade float – titled “Symphony of You.” The goal of the float is to represent the many ways that health care providers work harmoniously to care for each member.
- Read more Rose Parade coverage here.
Kaiser Permanente returned for its 18th Rose Parade featuring Kaiser members and the caregivers who have helped them.
The float celebrates life’s milestones and how – like the notes of a song – Kaiser Permanente supports its members and the communities it serves, officials said.
It aligns with the 2024 Rose Parade theme, “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language,” by bringing people together through music.
“Music brings people together and there’s nothing like a community being together singing,” Green said. The theme resonated with her as she found comfort in music and despite her illness continued to sing, play her instruments and work with her band, “The Dickens Country Swing Show,” and is currently an elementary school music teacher.
Green started performing at a young age and has spent her whole life as a performer. She has been part of Los Angeles’ popular folk music band “The Hollow Trees,” for the past 18 years. During the Rose Parade, she will stand alongside her physician Dr. Arsine Henry, whose care and support she is grateful for.
Henry, a physician in charge at the Kaiser Permanente Glendale Medical Offices, is also excited to share New Year’s Day with Green and fellow members, physicians and staff.
“I think it’s important to bring awareness to what physicians and staff at Kaiser Permanente do and how they provide excellent care and also are along the journey with patients through their lives and through the experiences that they’re going through their health challenges and keeping them well,” she said.
Henry believes that music can inspire and bring comfort and joy to people going through difficult times.
“I think music brings people together during good times and sometimes not so good times and that’s such a unifying thing along a person’s journey,” she said, “and the ‘Symphony of You’ theme of the Kaiser Permanente float signifies a lot of that because we’re along that journey with patients throughout their experience.”
Henry said she was grateful and honored to represent Kaiser during the Rose Parade and stand alongside her strong and resilient patient, as Green is the voice of many cancer survivors.
Green encourages all women to pay attention to their bodies and not ignore the signs when something is not right. She hopes sharing her story will inspire and help others who may be experiencing the same challenges she faced fighting ovarian cancer.
“The fact that I’m able to share my story and be able to influence others or be able to help others that might be going through the same is incredible, this is a dream come true,” she said.
Also participating in the float are violinists from the LA Philharmonic and Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, the LA Philharmonic’s music education program and a longstanding partner of Kaiser Permanente.
Designed and built by Fiesta Parade Floats, the float is a picturesque display of lush gardens with gorgeous pink and yellow blooms on display, and in the center is a meandering keyboard surrounded by songbirds and butterflies. Under the shade of daisy-like trees, the conductress leads the garden melodies amongst vignettes representing momentous events in her life.
The flowers featured on the float include over 6,000 roses from coral to hot pink and are used to create an ombre deck. Over 2,000 green roses surround the keyboard and garden flowers are decorated with statice and straw flowers. The vignettes are made of rice and onion seeds, and the conductress is composed of many spices to achieve her beautiful tones. The garden includes an assortment of tulips, chrysanthemums, orchids, lilies, and gerbera daisies. The float measures 22 feet high, 18 feet wide and 55 feet long.
Green said she can’t wait to dance along to the music as she sits along for the ride down Colorado Boulevard on the float.
“Being part of this parade has also taught me so much reflection being at five years as a survivor and I’m blown away,” she said. “I’m here, I survived.”