SALT LAKE CITY — Dylan Martins is 11 years old. He loves learning, soccer, math and the kinds of everyday things most kids his age enjoy.
But for much of his early life, those moments were not guaranteed.
“I had not my left heart,” Dylan said. “That means that I was struggling to breathe.”
When Dylan was 2 1/2 years old, he received a heart transplant at Primary Children’s Hospital. His new heart belonged to 3-year-old Taisley Hale, who died in 2016 after a horseback riding accident.
In the darkest moment of her life, Taisley’s mom, Whitney, said yes to organ donation.
“Dylan wouldn’t be here today if Taisley didn’t donate her heart, and it’s crazy to think about that,” Whitney said. “She can make such a big difference in one life.”
Nine years later, Dylan is thriving.
“He couldn’t walk. It was hard to breathe, and now he’s running everywhere and strong,” Whitney said.
Each year, Whitney and Dylan’s family come back together at Primary Children’s Hospital to give back to the doctors, nurses and families who know just how powerful the gift of life can be.
Last year, they started delivering cookies and small gifts to patients and staff throughout the hospital.
“It was really neat to be able to walk around all the different units with Dylan and his family and meet the nurses and doctors that help kids like him and did help him,” Whitney said. “They recognized Dylan, and then they’re like, ‘You’re Tay’s mom,’ so it’s kind of neat to see the connections that are made.”
Dr. David Hooper, chief of pediatric nephrology at Primary Children’s Hospital, said those moments matter deeply.
“Those people are such saints to be able to take their worst day, their loss, and be able to have that go to some good and hope and life for somebody else,” Hooper said. “It’s just a beautiful thing.”
For Whitney, organ donation was something she never fully understood until it became part of her daughter’s legacy.
“A little bit bittersweet, but I love that he’s thriving and he has grown so much and gotten so much stronger since he got his heart,” Whitney said. “We couldn’t be more proud of the cute little boy he’s become.”
She said the pain of losing Taisley is impossible to describe, but knowing her daughter helped save Dylan’s life brings meaning to the heartbreak.
“I never want any other parent to feel that pain,” Whitney said. “It’s indescribable in human words, and so just knowing that I could save Jessica and JP from that pain and that Dylan can still be here is everything to me.”
Now, Whitney calls Dylan her “heart son.”
“I’m your heart mom forever, right?” Whitney said.
“Yes,” Dylan replied.
Through Taisley’s gift, Dylan continues to grow, laugh and make memories.
And every year, the families return to Primary Children’s Hospital together, honoring Taisley’s life by bringing comfort, smiles and sweet treats to others waiting for their own gift of life.