A window display at Huntington Surf and
Sport in Huntington Beach California paid homage to Taylor Clifford, a
15-year old surfer who died too young.
I never
met or knew Taylor Clifford, a beautiful young surfer girl from
Huntington Beach. But when I wandered past a storefront window and saw
the display created as a memorial to her, I couldn't help but feel a
lump in my throat. She was young, beautiful and seemed so happy.
How could
she die so young? How could this girl break so many hearts by leaving
too soon?
I
investigated and found that there was nothing especially noteworthy that
would indicate she was on a particular path beyond excelling. She
lived like countless Huntington Beach teens who have grown up next to
the beach. She loved surfing and was good at it. She was very
pretty and could have modeled. She seemed to be doing everything right.
It was
just a fluke, an accident of a drug overdose. Her mom said that
Taylor didn't use drugs normally and had experimented just a few times.
Not feeling good from whatever she took, the bad reaction caused her to
head for the medicine cabinet and take something to help dilute and get
rid of the bad experience.
What
happened instead was a drug interaction that poisoned Taylor Clifford's
system. Hopefully Taylor's last hours were peaceful and gentle. She's
gone now. She'll never grow up to enjoy the career she might have had as
a model or surfer. Her friends miss her still. Her mother and
father miss her even more. Who can forget the beautiful girl who touched
so many lives with her beautiful smiles, kindness and love?
I never
knew Taylor but am touched by what she left behind. If even just a
photo, or a beautiful display in a window on Main Street in downtown
Huntington Beach, I felt it was important to post this page in her
memory. Taylor Clifford was found dead (by her mother) at 6:30 a.m. on
March 2, 2005. Taylor lived from 1990 to 2005. She was a proud
member of the Huntington Beach High School surfing team.
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