Bride Dies of Brain Aneurysm Weeks Before Wedding. Through Death, She Saves Lives of Others
On February 11, 2017, Nick Millazo got down on one knee and asked his girlfriend of three years, Taryn Budd, to marry him.
Taryn was a successful hair stylist, and Nick was studying to become a lawyer. They shared Taryn’s two dogs together and were working hard to renovate their home for the future.
Taryn, 28, said yes, and the two began planning the wedding of their dreams for December that same year.
But just a one month before the wedding, everything changed.
Taryn’s mother discovered her daughter unconscious in her bath tub. Doctors later told her family she’d suffered a brain aneurysm and drowned.
“They said they were prepared to do everything they could to save her, but looking at the scans, and they showed me the scans, she had suffered,” Taryn’s mother Stacie said.
Her family and future husband were devastated by the unexpected loss.
“Taryn would probably be upset if I didn’t mention how much of a lovely mother she was to her two little puppies,” Nick said. “I thought I was going to live my whole life with her.”
Taryn’s memorial service took place on the day she would have been married. But her generous heart has allowed those that loved her to cope during this tragic time.
Long ago, the 28-year-old knew she wanted to be an organ donor. Her family is now finding comfort in the fact that Taryn has been able to save countless lives.
“A 55-year-old father of two received her heart, a 30-year-old female received both her lungs and her liver, and a 30-year-old female, I believe, received her kidney,” her mother said. “We are grateful that there are other people that she’s living through and I’m hopeful that one day I’ll be able to meet them.”
Nick also knows that his fiancée would have been moved to see just how many lives she’s been able to change.
“I know that she would be absolutely thrilled to know that she has allowed other people to continue living their lives and especially people that have children. Taryn loved children,” he said.
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