This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the women of harm reduction who provide lifechanging, lifesaving services every day here at Prevention Point Philadelphia (PPP). Taylor Lee O’Day celebrated her six-year anniversary at PPP on February 18. She began as line staff in our Homeless Services department and just started her new role as a certified recovery specialist (CRS) at Beacon House, PPP’s emergency shelter.
“It is a beautiful way to start my seventh year at PPP,” Taylor says.
As a CRS, Taylor provides support to Beacon residents as they navigate the health system and address their substance use disorder. She has a warm, uplifting presence, often accompanying residents to medical appointments and helping them gain confidence as they work towards their goals.
Taylor’s commitment to harm reduction is fueled by deeply personal experiences. Her mother struggled with substance use disorder until Taylor was 14 years old.
“Because I was raised by her, I saw how people treated her because of her illness,” Taylor remembers. “I wanted to do something that could help the people that are forgotten about, because my mother was one of those people.”
Taylor’s childhood was incredibly difficult—“I saw things that I shouldn’t have seen”—but she refused to let that be her narrative as she moved through life.
“I did not want addiction to be something that haunted me. I wanted to tackle that and say that I took my fear and put my effort into being a part of change,” Taylor reflects.
While the work can be challenging, Taylor knows she is having a positive impact by offering compassionate, steadfast support to her residents.
“If I was in their situation, I would want somebody there that's judgment-free, somebody that's willing to help, even if I'm dirty, if I'm smelly, because I'm still a human.”
Recently, Taylor responded to an overdose and brought someone back from the brink of death. Three days later, the individual came to her and said, “you saved my life.”
“That right there is a reward that can't be bought. It just makes me feel like I can take on the world,” Taylor says.
Most of all, it is her mother and the journey they have been through together that keep Taylor inspired to help others day after day. Despite her mother’s struggles, she was determined to raise Taylor on her own, never considering entrusting her care to other family members or friends—a decision for which Taylor remains deeply grateful. A few years after her mother started recovery, she was diagnosed with stage four cancer. The doctors gave her two years to live.
“I was so devastated; I couldn’t imagine life without my mom. That’s my superwoman,” Taylor emotionally recalls.
Her mother not only survived but is now in remission years later. Remarkably, she also overcame a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2021—a catastrophic event that most people do not survive.
“My mother learned how to walk and talk all over again,” Taylor says. “I literally look at her and be like if she can do that, I need to make my life worth something.”
Taylor wants her mother to know that the trauma they've endured together is not holding her back.
“It was all meant for something. It actually wrote the story of my life. I want her to realize that everything I've been through with her empowered me to be a better woman. It taught me to have a kind heart, to be soft, to handle people gently, because you never know what somebody else is going through.”