Remembering Taylar Young
By Karina Petersen, CBS 11 News
Updated: 05/27/2009 10:43:11 PM AKDT
The South Anchorage High student who fell off his friend's car near Mulcahy stadium this past weekend has died. Sixteen year old Taylar Young lost his balance as he hopped on the car after a baseball game Saturday night, and that's when he hit his head and fell to the pavement. Friends and family gathered to remember Taylar Tuesday night.
Family and friends tell CBS 11 News if Taylar was alive today, he'd be playing baseball with his fellow teammates at legion tryouts, but those tryouts were canceled Tuesday tonight. Instead they asked players to bring themselves and a glove.
The baseball team's Varsity Head Coach Chris Williams explained why it's the start of a new day and a new season of healing, "It's not going to happen overnight, it's going to be a longtime process, longer for others and so, but it starts today and each day hopefully it'll get better."
Taylor's 17-year-old brother Schuyler remembers Taylar as his brother and his friend, "I don't remember a time when he didn't have a smile on his face."
Now Taylar's family is joining the teammates of the game he loved most [baseball], to get through one of the toughest days of their lives.
Baseball Coach Chris Williams said, "I think it's critical that they be able to spend that time together and kind of heal together and I think that's what this season will be."
To remember and honor Taylar they're signing a banner to leave a message, a memory, and a goodbye. The baseball team is also signing baseballs to give to the Taylar's family. Another honor, they're retiring Taylar's jersey, #1.
Taylor's big brother Schuyler thinks back to the beginning, "He was in an incubator when he was born and we have this little blue bunny that we have a picture of him, and the bunny's like "this" big. It's bigger than him."
Now Taylar is going to be buried with that bunny, along with his jersey that Taylar's brother is wearing tonight.
As Schuyler Young tries to hold back tears he said, "I rode with the ambulance, with him to the hospital and he died on the pavement, he died in the ambulance, and he died on the E.R. twice, but they kept reviving him and he kept fighting."
Coach Williams remembered, "He might have lacked size, but he had the heart of a lion."
As Schuyler explains, Taylor's heart will continue to beat, "We donated his organs and he's going to be helping a lot of people. His heart's flying to Canada. One of
Schuyler wears his little brother's jersey. One of his kidneys and his pancreas are flying to Minnesota. His other kidney, his liver, and his lungs are going to Seattle. They're going to help a lot of families. He saved more people in his death than we could ever hope to in our lives," said Schuyler.
Family and friends from all over the nation are coming into town for Taylar's funeral this Saturday.
CBS 11 is being told there's a plan to build a baseball field at South Anchorage High school and will be dedicated to Taylar Young. Donations to build that baseball field go to the South Anchorage Booster Club. Click here to find out where to donate:
http://www.eteamz.com/sabb/