WORTHY Spotlight: Jamie’s Story - Grief, Growth and Choosing to be Seen
When Jamie first heard about the WORTHY series, she felt something stir inside her. The project - a curated celebration of women boldly owning their presence - spoke to a deep part of her. But like many of us, her first instinct was to shrink back.
“I saw the opportunity and was immediately drawn in. What an amazing way to celebrate women who are in a stage of life that the world often tells us is our downhill slide to invisibility,” Jamie shared. “Then came the flood of resistance: I don’t like the way I look right now. This feels selfish. Why would I do a photo session just for me?”
But Jamie did something courageous. She paused. She breathed. And she remembered. “I thought about everything this life has taught me in my 47 years. I thought about my best friend who I lost to cancer. I thought of my niece Alex and my daughter Taylor, both taken from us 15 years ago in a car accident. I thought about how every wrinkle is a reminder of life lived and memories made. I remembered that growing older is not something to hide - it’s a privilege.”
Those reflections led Jamie to reclaim the space she was initially hesitant to step into. She realized this wasn’t just about her. It was about legacy. It was about love. It was about choosing to be seen, fully and unapologetically, as she is.
And at the center of it all was her daughter, Taylor.
“Taylor was exuberant. Athletic. Smart. Sassy. Eleven years old, and just starting middle school. She loved animals. She loved Taylor Swift. She loved her big brother with all her heart.”
In October of 2009, Taylor was involved in a devastating car accident. The injuries were irreversible. In those impossible moments, Jamie and her family made a choice grounded in love and guided by Taylor’s own words. “Her dad reminded me of a conversation they had about organ donation. Years earlier, when Taylor saw the heart on his driver’s license, she asked what it meant. He told her, and she immediately said, ‘When I get my license, I’ll have a heart too. Duh. Why wouldn’t you?’”
At just 11 years old, Taylor understood what it meant to give to others. And in her passing, she gave the gift of life and sight to five people. Jamie has since met several of those recipients and witnessed firsthand the ripple effect her daughter’s generosity created. “Fifteen years later, Taylor’s donation is still a huge part of my life. Her gifts brought healing not just to the people who received them, but to me, to our family, to everyone her story has touched. Her life continues to shine through others.”
That legacy is what ultimately brought Jamie to the WORTHY series. “Someday, when my time is up, I want my children and grandchildren to look back on these photographs and see a woman who embraced life—the mess, the heartache, the joy, all of it. I want them to know I showed up, even when it was hard. Especially when it was hard.”
Jamie’s story is a reminder that we are not defined by loss, but by what we do with the love that remains. And choosing to be seen? That’s not selfish. It’s sacred.
Beauclair Photography is happy to help promote Jamie’s efforts to increase organ & tissue donation in memory of Taylor. We would love for you to consider giving the gift of life by signing up to be a donor through LifeCenter NW. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.pledge.to/saving-lives-through-organ-and-tissue-donation
