Love is sometimes about sacrifice. So is serving in the military. Taylor Morris was serving in Afghanistan in May 2012 as a United States Navy Explosives Disposal Technician. He was blown up after stepping on an explosive device. Thrust into the air, his first sacrifice went flying by him. That was his leg. He also lost his other leg, and both his right and left arm. Taylor survived but became a quadruple amputee. It’s a casualty that most don’t survive and left Taylor and his family, friends, and fiance in the middle of a life-changing tragedy.
Their story caught the attention of local, national, and international news and was shared everywhere. Neither of them were big fans of the attention and cameras, especially Taylor, who knew stories of many other soldiers who had experienced much greater losses. Some didn’t survive. It was only when they realized that many of the people who had learned of their story were being inspired by them. From kids with brain cancer to people who had lost all hope in love, they both resolved to mark their story as a life-inspiring message that would help others. So the paparazzi continued, and pictures and articles appeared all around the world.
Many of those photographs showed Danielle carrying Taylor on her back and spoke of her undying selfless love for her husband. Taylor learned just how deep her love was for him in all that she did to take care of him. Danielle Kelly is Taylor’s angel, soul-mate, and high school sweetheart. She learned of the accident after getting a phone call. Shaken to her core, she immediately threw up and could barely breathe. She thought about the future they had planned and promptly left her job as a real estate agent. She has been by his side ever since. The soldier survivor went through serious surgery and rehabilitation. Danielle said, “In rehab, they asked about our goals, and I’m sure the physical therapist thought we were crazy. We said we wanted to get back to our dreams and our passions.”
Taylor, now with prosthetic limbs, started a charity 5K run, went sky-diving and raced cars. President Barack Obama also awarded Taylor the Purple Heart.
