CACHE COUNTY, Utah — It was eight years ago when a Cache County couple went through the hardest thing parents ever hope to face.
Whitney and AJ Hale's three-year-old daughter loved everything and everyone, but especially loved riding horses.
"She was in an accident while she was riding her horse, and she hit her head," explained Whitney.
Tayzli was immediately airlifted to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.
"They did everything they could, but she did have a traumatic brain injury, and so she wasn't ever going to wake up," Whitney shared.
It was then that Tayzli's parents were forced to make a difficult choice.
"We just knew if we could wake Tayzli up and ask her if she wanted to be an organ donor, that she would say yes," said Whitney. "She was the type of girl that loved everybody."
Whitney and AJ were able to say goodbye to their daughter as hospital staff and transplant coordinators stayed with Tayzli until the very end
"Even though we couldn't be in there to hold her hand and tell her her heart stopped beating, she was loved and taken care of," said Whitney.
The Hale's heartbreaking decision came down to one thing.
"If we could help even just one parent not feel that pain that we were feeling, then it was worth it," Whitney said.
"I take my hats off. I've not been in that situation, but I, you know, I see it and I work with it every day, and no words can express the gratitude that we feel for those families," shared Dr. Jean Botha, director of abdominal transplant surgery at Intermountain Health.
Botha sees firsthand how difficult decisions can change lives.
"Go from a sick child who's dying to a child who's now going to go to school, be completely normal, and the only thing they've got is a scar on their belly to show that they went through this incredible trauma," the doctor explained.
Size barrier is the single greatest obstacle for pediatric recipients, especially infants and toddlers, which means sick children are often waiting for a long time.
"Our heart always goes out to families that are on the waiting list and that are just waiting for, you know, any miracle that they can," said Whitney.
Tayzli's gifts went to several young children
"Tayzli was able to save a two-year-old little boy, and if he hadn't gotten Tayzli's heart, he wouldn't have lived very much longer," Whitney added.
While organs such as a heart need to be sized-matched, kidneys can be donated to anyone.
"[Tayzli's] kidneys were able to go to two older gentlemen," said Whitney. "They are both grandpas, and she has been able to give them the opportunity to have more time with their families."
Inspired by her daughter, Whitney is now an aftercare coordinator with DonorConnect, leading parents through those same tragic days
"I finally, in my 30s, know what I want to be in my life, you know? So I just feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be, and she kind of led me here," she said.
And while Tayzli is gone, her 3-year-old spirit lives on in the gifts she was able to give, and the families her mom now helps.
"I love this," said Whitney. "I want to keep talking about this. It's changed my life completely.
"It's important to me to keep talking about Taizli. I'll never stop. It can be a beautiful thing if we can turn some of those tragedies and unfortunate deaths into something beautiful."