by Christy Laverty
Losing a child is every parent’s nightmare. It is a nightmare Tara and Todd Storch lived through. Three years ago their baby girl Taylor died after a terrible skiing accident in Colorado. It was supposed to be a fantastic family trip but it turned out to be the worst day of their lives. Taylor was only 13 years old.
Tara and Todd were faced with difficult days and difficult decisions ahead. They hoped their daughter would recover but that is not what happened. Taylor lost her life but Tara and Todd made a decision to make sure she outlived herself and decided to donate Taylor’s organs. Taylor’s gift of life saved the lives of five people.
The Storch’s share their story of life, loss and love in a new book called Taylor’s Gift. From the first page I knew it was going to be an emotional read and it was. The book takes you from the beginning of their journey with Taylor’s accident, through their heartbreaking grief and to their new found life purpose, spreading the message of organ donation through their foundation Taylor’s Gift.org.
Recently I got a chance to talk with Tara and Todd Storch about Taylor, their life and the book. They were friendly and fun, even while talking about the most difficult days of their lives. I actually felt like I had known them for years, like I was talking with friends and that is one of the reasons the Storch’s story resonates with so many people. Their story could easily be your story, or my story. It could happen to any one of us.
Organ donation is often not part of the conversation many of us have at home with our children and that was no different for the Storch’s. Tara admits it isn’t something they talked to their children about but she says it was something they had to do. “We knew in our heart because of the type of child Taylor was (such a giving, caring child) that that would be what she would want. We made that decision for her knowing in our hearts it was the right one”, says Tara.
“It was a privilege to be able to be asked that question of ‘will you choose to donate your daughter’s organs? She’s a beautiful candidate for this. Would you consider that?’” Tara says it was a privilege to be asked to donate Taylor’s organs. It helped both Tara and Todd to know they weren’t losing Taylor completely, that she could live on in the lives of the people she was saving.
Organ donation is more about life than death for Todd and Tara Storch. They are working to change the conversation about organ donation. “It’s not necessarily about death, it’s truly about life. There is good that can come out of bad things. It really is the love story that connects with people” says Todd. “Just like life insurance it is a gift to those who are left behind. Organ donation is the same thing. It is truly a gift to a whole lot more people.”
Todd and Tara were able to meet four of the five people who received Taylor’s organs, including the woman who received Taylor’s heart. They write about meeting these people in their book. The recipients and their families have become like an extended family to the Storch’s. One of the most moving parts of the book is when Tara re-tells the story of the day she heard Taylor’s heart beating again, beating in the chest of a woman. It was so moving. It brought me to tears.
While the book is sad, it certainly did not leave me feeling sad. The book has an inspiring message of life, love, giving and hope. There is hope in knowing the lives of five people and their families live on.
April is National Donate Life Month in the United States. Todd and Tara Storch hope by sharing their story you are inspired to find out more about organ donation and you register to be a donor. In the US, over 115,000 people are waiting for life-saving organs; however, 19 people a day die waiting for this gift.
Go to TaylorsGift.org for more information about the foundation, the book and how to be an organ donor in the United States.
Tara says there is a fun way for people to show their support for Taylor’s Gift. “OPI has partnered with us and created a Taylor Blue Colour this is exclusive for Taylor’s Gift Foundation” says Tara.
For a dollar a finger, $10, you can buy a bottle of OPI Taylor Blue nail polish and all the money will go to help support the foundation. You can post your picture on social media with the hashtag #TaylorBlue to take part of the Paint It Forward campaign. Tara says it is a fun way to promote the foundation and raise awareness of organ donation.
In Canada, you can go to beadonor.ca to find out more about organ donation and register to be a donor. According to the Trillium Gift of Life Network the province’s organ and tissue donation agency, there are over 1,500 Ontarians currently awaiting a transplant.
Win one of two copies of the book, Taylor’s Gift.