UBC looks to raise mental illness awareness by retiring jersey of goalie who committed suicide
VANCOUVER — Sitting a few metres from the rink where she and the rest of the UBC Thunderbirds women’s hockey team celebrated last season’s league title, Mikayla Ogrodniczuk’s brave front shows a tiny crack.
The defenceman is sharing stories about goalie Laura Taylor, a friend and confidante who always had a smile on her face and knew how to make others laugh.
“She was full of wisdom,” said Ogrodniczuk, her eyes starting to glisten with tears. “We knew that we could always go to her, no matter what.”
But most of UBC’s players had no idea Taylor spent nearly half her life dealing with bipolar disorder and crippling depression. Her suicide on April 7, 2106, just days before her 34th birthday, came as a devastating shock.