Plaque honors 11-year-old whose tragedy turned into 5 transplants

BRIGHAM CITY — The Drivers License Division office may not be a favorite destination, but it is a place where people often make their choices regarding organ donation. Family members of 11-year-old Payge Gould are hopeful a plaque placed in her honor will help inspire people to check 'yes.'

"I encourage everybody to, and very honestly, think about it," Justin Gould, Payge's father, said. "She's my guardian angel now. But to know that she was able to be somebody else's guardian angel with this donation really meant a lot."

Payge died after an accident while riding a hoverboard in Riverdale in June 2023. At that time, her parents decided to donate her organs, which in turn helped five recipients using her heart, lungs, pancreas, kidneys and eyes. Payge's mother, Gypsy Nutt, struggled to hold back tears as she and Justin Gould unveiled the plaque in Payge's honor.

"Every night before I go to bed I give her a kiss on that picture," Nutt said, pointing to the picture on the plaque. "(I) tell her to spread her wings and 'Momma's proud of you, baby girl.'"

The plaque was the 14th placed in Drivers License Division offices around Utah in partnership with Donor Connect, the federally-designated nonprofit that helps coordinate donations and operations in Utah, and in parts of Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming. Donor Connect intends to place plaques in all 27 of Utah's Drivers License Division offices.

"Every day is a big day that we get to come together for Payge," Nutt said. "And this is the opportunity for all of us to come together and be there to help support each other instead of wallowing in our own ways."

Nutt said that through organ donation, families can see their loved ones live on in others, turning a tragedy into sometimes several miracles.

"It's amazing," Nutt said. "Although it was a very tragic and hard event for me, she can still live on through others, and I still can be connected to her through others."

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