No use pretending

who you really are.

Just be you…outshine

the biggest star.

Be brave…brave…

brave to live.

Be your own biggest fan.

Stand in the spotlight

when you can.

And be brave…

be brave to live.

Cora Beth Taylor believes in the lyrics she co-wrote with her vocal coach, Amanda Earhart, and strives to inspire others to be brave, living the life they have been given with confidence.

“It is a song that says it doesn’t matter what you look like, where you come from or your abilities – that is what you are meant to be,” Taylor said.

“You have to be brave enough to live it.”

Cora Beth Taylor is a junior at Kingfisher High School and a triplet with her brothers, Will and Tate. She also has a younger sister, Kinley, who is in fifth grade.

The daughter of Kevin and Beth Taylor, she is active in cheerleading, FFA, Distinguished Young Women and student council.

Early in life, her parents began to realize Cora was not reaching the same level of development as her brothers. Doctors told them that kids develop differently and not to worry, but they continued to pursue the possibility that something was wrong.

When Cora was 18 months old, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects the ability to control her muscles.

From that point forward, her parents set out to do everything possible to ensure she would have the most function and the best quality of life possible, Taylor said.

She had physical therapy six days a week for more than eight years. Much of the therapy included physical activities, such as horseback riding, dance and cheerleading, which were not only therapeutic, but fun.

When she was 5 years old, Taylor had back surgery to reduce the spastic movements in her body due to the cerebral palsy.

“Before the surgery I had a lot of spasticity, which made walking and moving very difficult,” Taylor said. “My mom said my movement looked like a robot because of the rigidity in my body.”

She said the surgery helped immediately.

“My movements were no longer spastic and my walking was a lot more fluid,” she said.

Another procedure which led to dramatic improvement was a trip to China, when she was 8 years old to receive stem cell therapy.

“I went to China with a walker and came back without one,” she said. “I was able to walk unassisted for the next two years, except for leg braces for added stability.”

But with cerebral palsy, her lower body remained significantly misaligned and so another surgery was performed when she was 10 years old.

The surgery was comprised of 16 different orthopedic procedures on the hips and lower body with the goal of making walking safer and functioning easier, she said.

“It helped a lot, but I’m still recovering.” Taylor said. “I am still using a walker, which is ‘okay’ but we are taking steps to improve.”

The walker doesn’t seem to have slowed her down much.

While in high school, she has been on the KHS cheerleading team, recorded songs and a video, been involved in FFA and won the Distinguished Young Women 2021 title.

When she made the cheerleading team, Taylor said she and her parents were so excited because she would not only be part of a team, but the physical aspect of cheerleading would have a therapeutic benefit for her as well.

“I love being able to put on a uniform representing a team and be a part of something bigger than myself,” she said. “I never thought I would ever be able to be on any kind of sports team.”

With a little hesitation, Taylor entered the Distinguished Young Women pageant in November and not only won the title, but scholastic achievement, interview and self-expression awards.

One of the elements of the competition was “Be your best self,” in which the winner is tasked with designing a program to promote positive self-image and presenting it to younger girls during her reign.

This phrase perfectly describes the message Taylor wants to embody and encourage others to live by.

For her talent in the competition, she performed her original single “Brave to Live.”

She said she really had fun and it was a great experience to get close to the other girls in the pageant.

She is scheduled to represent Kingfisher County in the state competition in July at Bartlesville.

Her original single was released in March of last year and she has also released a cover song of “My Day.”

Taylor said “Brave to Live” was originally written by Eric Faires and had never been recorded and released.

She and Earhart liked the song and title, but the lyrics didn’t represent Taylor’s story. So, Faires released the title to them and they rewrote the lyrics.

About six months after the single was released, the idea came up about making a music video.

Taylor said she was excited about a making a video, but wasn’t sure what it should look like. That is when her mom suggested they contact Cora’s former dance teacher, Shannon Wrights.

Wrights has a studio in Oklahoma City, Aspiring Attitudes, where she teaches dance to people with disabilities.

A music video was born.

About 20 students of all ages and all abilities took part with Taylor in the video, which was filmed at the Myriad Gardens.

“There were little kids to middle age adults in wheelchairs, power chairs and walkers,” Taylor said. “It proved the message so well.

“It doesn’t matter what you look like, what you can do or what you can’t do.

“Life is amazing and you have to be brave to live it.”