Although Taylor Storch died on March 15, 2010, her heart is still very much alive. And that's no metaphor. Taylor died in a tragic skiing accident at the age of 13, and her family chose to donate her heart, pancreas, kidneys, liver and corneas to people in desperate need of organ transplants.
Her heart went to a 39-year-old mother of two in Arizona, her pancreas and one kidney to a 49-year-old husband and father in Colorado, and her other kidney to a 33-year-old man in Colorado. Her corneas and liver changed two other lives.
To promote organ transplant awareness, Coppell residents Todd and Tara Storch founded Taylor's Gift in honor of their daughter.
April is National Donate Life Month, and Taylor's Gift has partnered with OPI nail polish to create the color Taylor Blue. The Storches encourage men and women to paint their nails blue and share information about organ donation registration through the hashtag #TaylorBlue.
“By being an organ donor, we have the opportunity to make a difference; give others a new chance for a normal, healthy life; and give people back to their families and friends,” Todd Storch said in a statement. “Organ donation is about living. And it’s about doing something to outlive yourself.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are more than 117,000 on organ transplant lists in America, and 18 people die waiting every day. Taylor's Gift hopes to eventually register more than 100 million people for organ donation.
OPI nail polish is now sold in Taylor Blue.
