DONATE LIFE ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS-DALLAS FORTWORTH, TEXAS

Coppell family launches campaign to promote organ donation

by GARY REAVES

WFAA

COPPELL — It's been just eight weeks since 13-year-old Taylor Storch died after a skiing accident in Colorado. Taylor's death is so fresh that looking at a scrapbook from her volleyball teammates triggers tears from her mother. But what helps this family as much as anything is their decision to donate Taylor's organs.

"She was a giver, so in that horrible moment, when they came in and asked, I turned to Tara and we said, 'Yes,'" recalled her father, Todd Storch. "Taylor would give her right arm if somebody needed it."

A one-year-old got her liver; a young mom was the recipient of her heart. In all, Taylor helped five families.

But for the Storch family, this is just the beginning. Todd Storch is quitting his job to work full-time promoting organ donation. "It's a shame that Texas is the lowest in the country for this, and we want to help raise those numbers," he said. The family has launched the Taylor's Gift Foundation, using the Internet to get young people to encourage their loved ones to register as organ donors. Blue wristbands are being used to raise awareness.

Taylor's volleyball pals are pitching in with a fund-raising tournament next month.

The Storch family knows nothing can bring Taylor back, but they rejoice in the fact that in five lives, she lives on.

"I can’t wait until I can hug the person who has her heart," Tara Storch said. "We get to meet the person who has her kidney and pancreas in June, and we get to hug them."

That is Taylor’s gift — one the Storches believe will soon touch Texas and the world.