Taylor Elizabeth Donnadio was born on Feb 10, 1995 in a small town of Western Pennsylvania. From birth, Taylor was vivacious and spunky, with a crooked smile that lit up any room. 

Taylor grew up surrounded by family ~ including her twin sister Logan~ and many friends.  She developed into an incredible gymnast and a superb cheerleader. By 11th grade Taylor was captain of the varsity squad. She was outstanding at first base for the Beaver Falls varsity fast-pitch softball team. Throughout her 16 years she even tried her hand at basketball and volleyball; excelling at those too. There was nothing she couldn't do. 

Taylor excelled academically as well. She was a high honors student and part of many scholastic groups and extracurricular activities. She particularly loved her journalism class when she realized that she could express her voice through writing. At 16, she was just beginning to work on college applications and was practicing driving to get her license; looking forward to her future!

Beyond school and sports, Taylor was a waitress/cashier at a local restaurant. She enjoyed acting and even had the opportunity to star in 2 movies produced by a local Pittsburgh based film company. 

 

Most of all, Taylor enjoyed spending time with her friends and family. Taylor became an Aunt at a very early age and quickly developed a very maternal and protective role with her two nieces. This was no surprise, as she took all of her relationships very seriously. She loved deeply and whole heartedly. Taylor had the amazing, rare ability to make others feel happy. Her laugh (a silvery giggle) was contagious. While she wasn't always able to help herself, she went out of her way to help others, even complete strangers. Kindness and generosity were part of her nature. 

 

From the outside looking in, Taylor was a beautiful, popular, talented girl with a future full of possibility and wonder. Those closer to Taylor knew the truth. We knew that in addition to love, her big heart had a great capacity for pain. She often hurt as deeply as she loved. At the age of 14, Taylor began to battle depression. She suffered from a chemical imbalance that sometimes prevented her from being herself, and from thinking clearly and rationally. Sadly, this harsh world became too much for her gentle, fragile spirit to bare. 

On January 6, 2012, at 16 years of age, Taylor stepped in front of a moving freight train and was killed instantly on impact.

While we know that Taylor was struggling to cope with pain that to her seemed insurmountable, we will never fully understand how she was driven to take her own life. We will always have unanswered questions.

But life must go on.

Taylor would want us to carry on; to be happy; to be loved; and most of all, to love one another. She would want us to remember and cherish all of the memories we made with her.

Taylor would want us to guide her nieces, Morgan and Madison, as they grow up and make their own way in this world.

She would want us to surround her sister Logan with true friendship  and love to help her adjust to life without her twin.

She would want us to help her parents, Joe and Doris, as they adapt to this unwanted change in their lives. 

As for me and my husband Ben, she would want us to live life to the fullest in her honor - to laugh every chance we get, to love completely, to LIVE!

My sister's beauty transmitted wherever she took her smile. We have all despaired at the loss of our precious Taylor, and it is the memory of the wonderful times we had with her that affords us the strength to move forward.

As we do move forward, Taylor would want us to reach out and help others who suffer from depression, and to create awareness of its symptoms and dire consequences. This is why I am telling Taylor's story and am starting this initiative. 

I am so proud to have known Taylor and to have had the honor of calling her my sister. Taylor's memory will never be extinguished from my heart, the hearts of her family, and from the hearts of many others whose lives were touched by hers.

There will never be another Taylor. But we can learn from Taylor's beauty and generousity of spirit by ensuring that we do not lose any other young, irreplaceable lives to depression.