Taking a seat at the Celebration of Life for Matthew Harrison-Taylor, you ask others how they knew him. To your right, someone says “Matthew was my drug dealer. We had sooo much fun together.” To your left, someone else says, “Matthew saved my life. I honestly wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him.” Matthew contained multitudes.
Raised by a loving if unglamorous family in suburban Ottawa, Matthew showed a natural flair for performance and leadership at an early age. He thrived on school plays, Boy Scouts and any kind of boundary-breaking behaviour. As a camp counsellor in Golden Lake, Ont., his penchant for cross-dressing ensured he was always the centre of attention during stage nights.
Things turned around on Aug. 28, 2005, when he declared himself drug-free after a stay at an addiction recovery program. Consideringshowing crystal meth relapse rates over 60 per cent, his uninterrupted sobriety thereafter was one of his proudest achievements and marked a rebirth of sorts. Once clean he reunited with his family, tracked down his birth mother and threw himself headlong into community service.