City of Hope Celebrates Cancer Survivors and Physicians with Stunning Rose Parade Float

City of Hope’s float, “Overcoming Cancer and Diabetes Together,” joins the 137th Rose Parade and will carry six riders in this global New Year’s Day tradition.

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–City of Hope^®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, with its National Medical Center ranked among the nation’s top cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report, will highlight how advances in cancer research and treatment are bringing hope to cancer patients and survivors everywhere with a remarkable float and six inspiring riders in the 2026 Rose Parade on Jan. 1.

The float, titled “Overcoming Cancer and Diabetes Together,” will feature five cancer survivors and one individual thriving after an islet cell transplant to treat diabetes. They come from across the country, representing City of Hope’s cancer centers in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, Atlanta, and Orange County, California, and will ride alongside their doctors.

Aligned with the Rose Parade theme, “The Magic in Teamwork,” City of Hope’s float highlights how researchers pioneering breakthrough cures, expert care teams delivering the latest treatments and patients and their families unite to overcome cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Their stories reflect the heart of this year’s theme, showcasing how innovative, compassionate care transforms lives.

“This moment reflects the magic of teamwork,” said Robert Stone, City of Hope CEO and the Helen and Morgan Chu Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair. “After everything our community has faced over the past year, we are standing together as researchers, clinicians, advocates, patients and families united by hope. Today, we celebrate not only the resilience of our community but also the strength of every person who hears the words, ‘you have cancer,’ and knows they are not alone.”

City of Hope is one of the country’s leading cancer research and treatment institutions, providing specialized therapies, clinical trials and advanced care that give patients their strongest opportunity to overcome cancer. With centers in five major metro areas across the country, some 86 million people now live within driving distance of one of its nationwide facilities.

Standing 20 feet high and adorned with over 12,000 flowers, City of Hope’s float features a stunning centerpiece pillar displaying the word “hope” on both sides. Rising above is an iconic Spirit of Life^® sculpture, a graceful depiction of two adults and a child with arms uplifted in optimism. This sculpture celebrates family, vitality, reflecting in the shared human journey through illness and healing. Animated butterflies drift above vibrant floral koi ponds, a signature feature inspired by City of Hope’s Japanese Garden at its Los Angeles cancer center. Nearby, graceful peacocks, lush trees and elegant birdbaths create an inspiring display of strength, renewal and tranquility.

From conquering daunting diagnoses to embracing new beginnings, these six survivors stand as living proof that hope is possible when we stand together.

City of Hope proudly presents the 2026 float riders to celebrate hope and healing.

Joey Gibson Rivas, 48, Calabasas, California: Gibson Rivas has lived with chronic leukemia — diagnosed as essential thrombocythaemia — for more than 20 years. It is a rare blood cancer that causes the body to produce too many platelets, prompting fatigue, weight loss, severe bone pain and other complications. Before coming to City of Hope in 2015, Gibson Rivas felt lost among doctors who didn’t understand his disease.

“At City of Hope, Dr. Haris Ali and my nurse Raymond Hernandez and everyone there treated me like family. For the first time, I felt hope,” he said.

Gibson Rivas has faced other challenges as well. In January 2020, an electrical fire tore through his Highland Park home, leaving Gibson Rivas and his wife, Cheryl, with nothing. The fire also claimed the life of Pixie, one of their beloved dogs. A friend offered the couple his home in Malibu.

In January 2025, the couple again feared they might lose their home to a fire. This time, it was the massive wind-fueled Pacific Palisades fire. They were displaced for two weeks but the home survived.

Unfortunately, Gibson Rivas lost his job due to the fire. He worked as a personal chef for a family whose home was destroyed.

Gibson Rivas is now doing well. When standard treatments stopped working for his cancer, Dr. Ali and his staff secured the use of an investigational therapy, navitoclax, in late 2024. The daily chemotherapy pill has stabilized his blood counts.

To deal with his job loss, Gibson Rivas also turned his passion for horses into a new career. He now works on a ranch in Agoura Hills, California, and dreams of opening a farm to care for abandoned horses and provide equine therapy to people needing emotional support.

“I am living proof that hope, faith and great care can beat the odds,” Gibson Rivas said. “City of Hope truly lives up to its name.”

Jodi Cruz, 50, Irvine, California: In August 2019, Cruz was a patient with type 1 diabetes who became the first participant in Fouad Kandeel, M.D., Ph.D.’s pioneering clinical trial combining islet cell transplantation with gastrin therapy that improves digestion and supports healing. Nearly six years later, she remains insulin-free — a life-changing outcome that once felt out of reach.

For decades, Cruz battled hard-to-control diabetes, enduring unpredictable blood sugar swings and the constant fear of severe complications. She worried she might never see life’s biggest milestones.

When she learned about City of Hope’s innovative clinical research, she took a leap of faith — inspired by KTLA’s coverage of another patient with diabetes who rode in the 2019 Rose Parade after his own successful transplant. That connection led Cruz to City of Hope, where her transplant gave her a new lease on life. Today, she’s thriving: She recently celebrated her 50th birthday and became a grandmother — a milestone she once thought impossible.

For more on Cruz’s story, read this blog.

Rudy Horist, 62, Chicago: Horist was 43 years old in 2007, a seasoned firefighter who had learned to see danger in smoke and flames; yet, he could not see that he himself was in danger. During a routine annual physical, his primary care physician suggested that he consider getting a colonoscopy. He was seven years younger than the recommended minimum age but agreed anyway. The test came back clean, and life carried on. A decade passed before anyone mentioned the screening again. Horist felt healthy, strong and as capable as ever, but an unshakable instinct pushed him to make the appointment.

“I felt fine, but something inside me said I shouldn’t ignore it. That colonoscopy saved my life,” Horist said. He was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery at City of Hope Cancer Center in Zion, Illinois, where surgeons removed a section of his colon. He considered himself fortunate: The cancer had not spread to his lymphatic system, and he was spared from both chemotherapy and radiation.

Emerging from the experience with a renewed sense of purpose, Horist became an advocate for cancer screenings — especially among firefighters, a group at elevated risk for cancer. He joined the Firefighters Cancer Support Network, began teaching a class on cancer prevention to new recruits and became involved with Shield 23, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting firefighters in their battles against cancer.

Horist is eight years cancer-free, a milestone he carries with quiet pride and an unwavering commitment to helping others catch danger early when the disease is cured more easily.

Tyler Blue, 63, Atlanta: Blue was a U.S. Army veteran and successful corporate salesperson living the American dream when he started experiencing hoarseness in his throat. He initially shrugged it off as allergies. But in 2016, a diagnosis of stage 4 throat and thyroid cancer brought his world to an abrupt halt – a shocking discovery for a non-smoker who prioritized his health.

His journey included 25 radiation treatments, multiple surgeries and setbacks that cost him his career and his sense of purpose. After difficult experiences at several hospitals, Blue sought care at City of Hope Atlanta in 2018 and found a team that gave him hope.

Blue celebrates the City of Hope Atlanta experts that gave him a second chance, particularly his surgeon, Dr. Beomjune Kim, and his speech-language pathologist who taught him to communicate anew with an electrolarynx now that his voice box had been completely removed.

“Dr. Kim and the entire City of Hope Atlanta crew didn’t just treat me; they saved me, time and time again,” Blue said. “Their compassion, expertise and relentless commitment gave me a second chance.”

Now, nearly eight years cancer-free and retired, Blue has turned his gratitude into a powerful mission. He has partnered with City of Hope Atlanta to create the Total Laryngectomy Support Group — a monthly gathering where patients connect and share strategies for navigating daily life.

Blue’s story is a testament to the power of resilience, world-class medical care and finding a new purpose in the face of life’s greatest challenges.

Angela Onodera-Jimenez, 60, Goodyear, Arizona: When Onodera-Jimenez went in for her annual exam in October 2023, she never expected the results would change her life. The Goodyear, Arizona, resident — a motorcycle rider, rock climber and windsurfer — was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer and secondary metastatic cancer.

Onodera-Jimenez turned to City of Hope Phoenix, where a team led by Cynthia Lynch, M.D., guided her through chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. She embraced every resource available — genetic testing, cognitive therapy, support groups, naturopathic medicine and physical therapy — while staying active with Zumba, yoga and Pilates.

Today, Onodera-Jimenez is free of breast cancer and continues immunotherapy to manage her secondary diagnosis. A devoted mother, grandmother and wife, she now volunteers at City of Hope events and encourages others to advocate for themselves. “City of Hope gave me the strength to keep living fully,” Onodera-Jimenez says. “I’m grateful for every moment.”

Arash Rounaghi, 51, Laguna Beach, California: When Rounaghi, an active father of five, began feeling winded after climbing stairs in 2018, he never imagined his fatigue would lead to a diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia, a rare blood cancer. Rounaghi turned to City of Hope, where expert care helped him achieve remission within a year.

But in 2020, Rounaghi’s cancer returned, and in 2022, his wife, Stephanie, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Both relied on City of Hope for highly specialized cancer care: Rounaghi at City of Hope’s Los Angeles campus and his wife at City of Hope’s new academic research campus in Irvine, California — the only cancer specialty hospital in Orange County, California. “To think of the lives that are going to be saved at this hospital — having City of Hope in our community changes everything for people like me,” he said.

By 2023 Rounaghi’s cancer was gone, but his bone marrow was damaged. He needed a stem cell transplant. After a nationwide search, his oldest son, Arthur, an Air Force Academy cadet, proved the best match. “Not only did my dad have a route to being cancer-free, but I had the opportunity to be part of saving his life,” Arthur said.

The transplant was a success. Just a week later, Stephanie successfully underwent a mastectomy. Through faith and family and friends, the Rounaghis navigated this intense period together.

Today, Rounaghi and Stephanie are thriving, and Rounaghi has returned to mountain biking with his children. The experience has brought the family profound gratitude. “I thought I was going to lose everything,” Rounaghi said. “But with City of Hope, I got hope and a second chance at life. I cherish every single moment.”

For more on Rounaghi’s story, read this blog.

About City of Hope

City of Hope’s mission is to make hope a reality for all touched by cancer and diabetes. Founded in 1913, City of Hope has grown into one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. City of Hope research has been the basis for numerous breakthrough cancer medicines, as well as human synthetic insulin and monoclonal antibodies. With an independent, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center that is ranked among the nation’s top cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report at its core, City of Hope’s uniquely integrated model spans cancer care, research and development, academics and training, and a broad philanthropy program that powers its work. City of Hope’s growing national system includes its Los Angeles campus, Orange County, California, campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California and cancer treatment centers and outpatient facilities in the Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix areas. City of Hope’s affiliated group of organizations includes Translational Genomics Research Institute and AccessHope^TM. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Contacts

Katherine Ramirez

626-678-4163

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