Taylor

Nicolle Llewellyn wanted a daughter so badly she could already picture the foof and the frill, the little princess, the forever best friend. Taylor, her baby girl, was all of that and more. She had no interest in being popular, she just wanted to be kind. It was also who she was at 16 when she got her license and told her mom she wanted to register as a donor. In 2014, on her way home from school after lunch with a friend, Taylor was in a car accident. “It can happen to anybody at any time,” Nicolle says. She prayed with everything she had for a miracle, but that miracle never came. But five other families were praying too, and theirs did. Two of Taylor’s recipients had been told to begin end-of-life preparations. But miraculously, Taylor’s gift gave them a second chance at life.

Back at school, Taylor’s varsity pom team changed their routine two weeks before the state competition and built a tribute dance in Taylor’s honor. They won. Nicolle watched from the audience and felt her daughter there, “gracing the entire dance.” Nicolle emphasizes how important it is to know your loved one’s decision and have the conversation about organ, eye and tissue donation. She’s forever proud of her daughter’s decision. “I think being a donor makes you one of the most heroic people that you can possibly ever be,” said Nicolle.