By Matt Wiley
Being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness easily is one of every person’s greatest fears, but imagine if you were born with a disease and were told at a young age that your health would always be different than that of everyone else. This has been a reality for one New Tampa girl, but she’s not letting her illness get in the way of her dreams.
Kira Taylor (photo), 15, a West Meadows resident, was born with cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder of the body’s mucus glands that causes chronic lung infections, as well as other serious health issues that affect other systems within the body. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, CF affects more than 30,000 people nationwide and the life expectancy for those with CF is only ages 37-40 because of its debilitating effects on the lungs, which often require transplantation just to reach that age.
While many people may try to cope with such a medical condition on their own, Kira wants to make a difference in people’s lives by letting others with conditions like hers know that it’s O.K., which she is doing through music videos that she performs in and films at home and publishes on Youtube.com.
“Basically, what I want to do is show people that its okay if you have an illness, disease or disability and that it’s okay to live out your dream and not to worry about what other people say,” she says. “Especially people who say you shouldn’t be doing something because you have a condition.”
Because one of CF’s symptoms causes the lungs to fill with mucus, singing is made especially difficult for those living with the disease. But, Kira is a natural. She says that she was inspired to sing by Ali and Christina Christensen, sisters who both suffer with CF who appeared on NBC-TV’s “America’s Got Talent” in 2010.
“When I was nine, I saw that they had CF and that they were singing,” Kira explains. “They said, ‘Never give up on your dreams,’ even if you have CF or something like it. So, that’s what encouraged me to start singing.”
Kira performs original songs that she has written herself, as well as songs by other artists. While performing in the videos, she also always intertwines a message. For example, in her video “Bad Day,” a cover performance of the 2005 Daniel Powter hit, Kira included clips of all of the medications she has to take on a daily basis, as well as text over the video that helps explain what it’s like to live with CF.
Her video, a collaboration with 19-year-old Mexican pop artist HousePuzzle (Pablo Adame, who stayed at the Taylors’ home to film the video), had more than 10,000 views on Youtube at our press time. Kira also has performed at several local events, including the Shops at Wiregrass mall’s “Back to School Bash” this past August, where she opened for Keegan Allen, the star of the ABC Family Channel’s “Pretty Little Liars.”
When she isn’t busy singing and making videos for her Youtube channel, Kira also volunteers her time as an anti-bullying youth advocate for Free2Luv.org, which is a global nonprofit dedicated to “rocking individuality, celebrating equality, spreading kindness and standing up to bullying through arts & entertainment.” The program has many celebrity ambassadors supporting its efforts, including TV, film and/or music stars Lisa Kudrow, Vanessa Hudgens, Tom Arnold, Fran Drescher and Carmen Electra.
As a Free2Luv youth advocate, Kira says that she shares positive and inspiring posts about anti-bullying on her social media pages that help spread awareness about bullying. She also hopes to find speaking opportunities at local schools and businesses to help spread Free2Luv’s message. One of her original songs, “Friends,” actually is about bullying. Kira says she originally wrote it as a poem for her best friend, who was a victim of bullying, and plans on soon making it a music video, as well.
A Florida Virtual School (FLVS) student, Kira does her schoolwork from home, which allows her to have the time to miss school for all of the necessary extensive medical treatment she needs to stay healthy. She attended most of elementary school at Harold Clark Elementary (also in West Meadows), but she says her treatments forced her to miss weeks of school at a time.
“Virtual School has been a blessing,” Kira’s mother Lisa explains. “(Attending FLVS) has given her the opportunity to undergo all of the treatment she needs. This year has been a little tough for her, since she’s beginning to see all of the research about CF, but she’s staying positive.”
Lisa says that Kira was first diagnosed with CF at 8-months-old. But, when Kira was in the first grade, she was hospitalized and didn’t understand why she was in the hospital. That’s when she was told for the first time that she had CF.
“When I was little, I was very upset about learning that I had a disease and that many CF-ers don’t make it past 40 years old,” Kira says. “It really brought me down. But, I started realizing when I was about 12 that it was something that was given to me that I can use to help people.”
Currently, Kira is raising money for the upcoming “Great Strides” walk for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on Saturday, May 16, at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. To donate, please visit FightCF.CFF.org, click on “Donate Now” and search “Kira Taylor.”
And, be sure to search for “Kira Taylor” to check out Kira’s channel on Youtube.com.
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