A Kelowna woman will be honoured in a solemn ceremony Friday night at the University of BC in Vancouver.
The women’s hockey team will retire the jersey of its long-time goalie Laura Christine Taylor.
After enduring depression and bipolar disorder for years, Taylor committed suicide in April just before her 34th birthday.
Her team members say they had little indication of Taylor’s struggles.
“She just carried herself so well,” head coach Graham Thomas said. “There was never really any kind of signs, nothing really jumped out at us.”
“She was full of wisdom,” said defenceman and friend Mikayla Ogrodniczuk, her eyes starting to glisten with tears. “We knew that we could always go to her no matter what.”
“I think she would want to be remembered as someone with a lot of strength,” said defenceman Kelly Murray. “That’s part of the reason this is so important to us. We want people to realize that just because you’re struggling with something doesn’t make you weak.”
Retiring Taylor’s number 29 jersey is not only a memorial but also an endeavour to continue discussion about mental illness.
“Laura really wanted the stigma associated with mental illness to be addressed and eliminated and so, in her memory, please reach out to someone you may feel is hurting emotionally,” states her obituary.
Taylor was a medical student at the university.
-With files from The Canadian Press-