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RIVERDALE — A freak accident has one Utah family making a desperate plea to parents to make sure kids are wearing helmets.
That accident happened on Wednesday in Riverdale when an 11-year-old girl fell off her hoverboard and hit her head. Hours later, her family was facing the toughest decision of their life: whether to donate her organs.
Gypsi Nutt said her daughter, Payge Gould, was the comedian in the family.
"It was a joy to her to make us laugh," said Taylor Gould, Payge's sister.
When you hear the stories, you know why everyone wanted to be around her.
"She was just very giving," Nutt said. "If there was a kid that didn't have a friend, she was always (saying) 'let's be friends'."
Nutt and Taylor Gould say Payge took a hoverboard for a ride last week. That evening, the 11-year-old called her mom.
She said she had taken a fall. It seemed mild. "Just like your normal headache from bonking your head or something," said Nutt, who has six kids. Payge is her youngest. "No swelling, no bruising, nothing."
Still, she was keeping a close eye on her. "At midnight I came in and checked on her. She was talking to me," Nutt said.
She never would have imagined what happened next. At 2 a.m., she found her daughter unresponsive. Nutt called 911. A few hours later, doctors gave her the bad news: The fall wasn't just serious, it was deadly.
She was just very giving. If there was a kid that didn't have a friend, she was always (saying) 'let's be friends.'
–Gypsi Nutt, Payge's mom
"She had a crack from behind her ear all the way up to the middle of her head almost," Nutt said.
That crack in her skull, which would have been avoided with a helmet, killed her daughter. Now, the mother faced a heart-wrenching decision.
"You can either let her sit here and slowly die or you can donate her organs," Nutt said.
Nutt said she knew her daughter would want to give the gift of organ donation. That decision immediately saved several lives. And it is bringing comfort to the family now in their darkest hours, facing a life without their favorite 11-year-old.
Family members want their story to serve as a reminder for families to be sure kids are wearing helmets. They have also set up a fund to help with upcoming expenses here.*
They also want to encourage others to become organ donors.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
