'Firecracker' dies of cancer

By HELEN ANNE TRAVIS
Published April 27, 2007

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When doctors told Taylor Arrington two years ago that she had only a few months to live, she relished proving them wrong.

Diagnosed at age 8 with bone cancer, Taylor became a poster child in the fight to find a cure.

She starred in commercials, her photo graced billboards, and she participated in numerous fundraisers to generate awareness of pediatric cancers.

"It gives her an outlet," her mother told the Times in 2006. "She feels she's doing something worthwhile."

Taylor had blue eyes, strawberry blond hair and was quick to flash a smile. Her parents called her a firecracker.

Taylor of Lithia passed away on Sunday. She was 12.

Her parents, Cary and Mary Kay, and twin sister, Jordan, will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. today at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home, 6919 Providence Road, Riverview.

A celebration of Taylor's life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Grace Community United Methodist Church, 5708 Lithia Pinecrest Road, Lithia.

Online messages may be left at www.serenitymeadows.com.

Helen Anne Travis can be reached at 661-2439 or htravis@sptimes.com.