Most people don’t know what a “donor mom” is. Those who do know certainly don’t want to become one. A “donor mom” is a mother who lost her child but was able to save another person through organ donation.
In March 2010, Tara Storch became a donor mom when her 13-year-old daughter died from a skiing accident. Taylor and her brother were making the last run of the day down a mountain in Colorado with their father. Taylor lost control of her skis at one point and veered off the run straight into a tree. Tara and her other daughter were waiting at the foot of the mountain when they got the news.
The next day, Taylor was pronounced dead by her doctors, who had worked tirelessly through the night trying to save her.
As Tara and her husband grieved at Taylor’s side, the doctor asked if they would be willing to donate Taylor’s organs. It didn’t take long for the Storch’s to do what they knew Taylor would want. Tara became a “donor mom.”
That was not the end of the story for Tara and her husband, Todd, but it was the beginning of Taylor’s Gift Foundation. Today, the Storch’s continue to work many hours to help other families who have been touched by organ donation.
Last Tuesday, Tara Storch shared her story at the monthly Heart to Heart Women’s Ministry group sponsored by First Baptist Church. Tara shared a clip from the Today show when they filmed Tara hearing her daughter’s heart beating strongly and clearly in a nurse’s body, who can now be an active mom to her kids.
Tara told how later she was able to meet the others who received Taylor’s liver, cornea, pancreas, and a kidney. Through this, Taylor was able to “Outlive Yourself,” which is the theme of Tara’s message when she speaks to groups.
April is National Donate Life Month, raising awareness of the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donations. Seventeen people die every day waiting for a donor, and over 100,000 are waiting for an organ.
“It’s not what happens to you that matters; it’s how you react to it that does.”
Taylor’s Gift Foundation offers free grief support to families and has helped register millions of new organ donors across the country.
For more information on organ donation, go to www.taylorsgift.org
