Ataya Mackenzie Lilly Greer

It is through an immense amount of tears and grief, that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved Ataya (Taya) Greer on Tuesday, May 25 2021 at the North Bay Regional Health Centre. She passed away peacefully at the age of 26 after five months of battling a severe brain injury caused by a sudden adrenal crisis. Her mother and sister hugged her tightly as she took her last breaths.

Taya was born on January 7th1995 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. She came into this world a sociable and mischievous baby – always looking to push the limits – and grew into a beautiful, thoughtful, and soft-spoken adult who had a mission to help and make people happy. This love of helping others landed her a job as an Analyst at Veterans Affairs Canada in Kirkland Lake. Her coworkers knew her as a ‘ray of sunshine and positivity’ who ‘cared greatly about her job and Canada’s veterans’. She won numerous customer service awards and was encouraged to apply to Laurentian University to study Psychology and pursue her dream of becoming a social or mental health worker. Taya was due to begin her part-time studies in January 2021 – her goal was to make a positive impact on our Northern community.

Beyond work and career aspirations, Taya was a typical 26-year-old; she loved the latest fashion trends, drinking cheap wine, being with friends, taking long naps, longboarding during the summer, making TikTok’s and doing the occasional arts and crafts. Taya was an outspoken fan of rap music, but also secretly a country music enthusiast (much to her mother’s dismay). On top of that, she was a budding entrepreneur who hoped to one-day launch her own graphic design business (Mackenzie Paperie). As a person, Taya was far from typical. She was a devoted daughter who would have done anything for her mother, she was the type of sibling who never failed to laugh at her big sister’s bad jokes, she was the type of aunty who would spoil her little niece with presents that would put anyone else's to shame, and she was the kind of friend who would never be anything but supportive and loyal. Those who followed her journey these last five months can attest to how fierce, strong and determined she was. She made miraculous strides and progress that experts thought she would not make - all while keeping a smile on her face and joy in her heart. She was and will continue to be an inspiration to many.

Taya is survived by her mother, Lori (Scott); sister and niece, Tana and Avie (Hamish); and grandparents, Lillian, Dennis and Brenda. She will be sorely missed by her aunts, Kim (Peter) and Natasha; uncle, Derek; and many loving cousins and close friends. She also leaves behind her adopted Shi Tzu, Gizmo and hamster, Teddy.

Due to COVID-19 regulations, Taya’s family will be holding a private service with a live-stream of the event for the rest of her family, friends and community on Thursday, June 3rd at 11.00am on McGuinty Funeral Home Limited Facebook page. All are welcome to attend virtually to celebrate Taya’s short but exceptional life.    https://www.facebook.com/McGuintyFuneralHome

We would like to extend the greatest of gratitude to Dr. Jinnah and the nurses and medical staff of C3 at the North Bay Regional Hospital. Thank you for taking the best care of our Taya, and for showing her the same amount of love and respect that she gave to others.

Thank you to our entire Facebook community in ‘Help Taya Heal’. We may not have healed her the way we wanted to, but rest assured she has departed our world feeling loved, cherished, and most importantly, free of suffering.

Any donations on Taya’s behalf can be made to the Canadian Addison Society (http://www.addisonsociety.ca/). There is still so much research to be done to protect those who suffer from this rare disease. Please, help us make sure that what happened to Taya does not happen to anyone else.