On March 15, 2010, Todd and Tara Storch tragically lost their thirteen-year-old daughter, Taylor, in a ski accident in Colorado. Despite the unimaginable grief, the couple made the selfless decision to donate Taylor’s organs, including her heart, which was transplanted into Patricia Winters, a 42-year-old nurse and mother of two from Arizona. After a relative posted the connection on a transplant website, the Storches reunited with Winters and experienced the powerful ripple effect of their brave decision. Inspired, they wrote the book Taylor’s Gift (Baker Publishing Group, $15.99) to spread awareness of the beautiful gift organ and tissue donation can be.
Patricia Winters, a 42 year–old labor and delivery nurse and mother of two, felt a deep connection with the Storches family after receiving a life–saving heart transplant from the teenager. “Now I can walk, breathe, pick up my boys at school,” Winters expressed. “I have a tomorrow because of Taylor.” She further noted that her bond with the Storches family is strong, and when it comes time to leave them, she feels a deep ache inside. “It is so hard to explain,” Winters said. “There is so much to our relationship. As a parent, you never want to feel what Tara feels. If my child’s heart was in her body, I would want the same closeness that we have together.”