IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Don and Tracy Wilson hadn't stepped inside Eastern Idaho Medical Center since Christmas morning 2021, the day their 18-year-old daughter Jordyn died just two days before her scheduled wedding.
On Thursday, they returned for the first time to honor their daughter's legacy as an organ donor and reunite with the medical staff who cared for her during her final days.
"We pulled up to the building, and it was emotional, because it looks exactly like it did at the time," Tracy Wilson said. "We needed a minute."
Jordyn Wilson was a BYU-Idaho student who had graduated high school early with a 4.0 GPA and was planning a debt-free college education. She had taught herself to play guitar, ukulele and piano, and dreamed of becoming famous through her music.
In December 2021, Jordyn began experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath. After collapsing in an urgent care parking lot, she was rushed to Eastern Idaho Medical Center, where doctors suspected she had suffered a pulmonary embolism caused by Factor V Leiden, an inherited blood clotting disorder.
Despite 15 minutes of CPR after her heart stopped, Jordyn never regained consciousness. She died on Christmas morning, 2021.
"The doctor came to us and asked if we'd ever considered organ donation," Don Wilson said. "The answer was easy. She served, she did things for people everywhere she went, and so if she had organs that can be used, she would certainly want them to be used."
Jordyn was able to donate both kidneys, her liver and several tissues.
During Thursday's visit, the Wilsons reunited with retired nurse Bruce Taylor, who had cared for Jordyn during her stay in the ICU.
"Every opportunity we have to tell Jordyn's story, we bring up nurse Bruce," Tracy Wilson said. "We never knew his last name. We just knew him as nurse Bruce."
Taylor, who worked as a nurse for 36 years, said he was always honest with families about their loved ones' conditions.
"I learned very early to never give a family false hope," Taylor said. "It's gratifying to know that people appreciate the care that you give them."
The emotional reunion took place outside room 213, where Jordyn spent her final days. Hospital staff raised a memorial flag in her honor.
Don Wilson said sharing his daughter's story helps fulfill a promise he made to her about becoming famous.
"What she said to me was, 'I don't know Dad, I just want to be famous,' and I remember just telling her, 'Okay,'" he said. "So the opportunities to talk about her, to tell her story, is I feel like it's just another way of me fulfilling that promise I made to her to help her be famous."
The visit was part of Donate Life Month in April, which raises awareness about organ, tissue and eye donation. According to Donor Connect, Utah's organ procurement organization, more than 800 people in Utah are currently waiting for organ transplants.
"I hope that their story can help those that are questioning, should I be an organ donor or not?" Taylor said.
The Wilsons said they want their daughter's story to encourage others to consider organ donation.
"As much as I want my daughter to be famous, I want the word about organ donation to be out there," Don Wilson said. "I want people's lives to change."
More information about organ donation is available at https://www.donorconnect.life/.