INSPIRATION:

by Sheryl Meck

My name is Sheryl Meck, and I am 19 years old and the oldest of three children. I come from a middle class family in Pennsylvania.

I was first introduced to Never Let You Down {NLYD} when I saw a friend wearing the NLYD wristband that had the company promise on it. I asked him about it and checked out more information on the company and it’s products. I bought a wristband for myself and use it to always remind me to stay positive everyday.

I was originally born in the Philippines.  I have twelve aunts and uncles and over thirty cousins.  My family in the Philippines is very poor.  They live in wooden huts and have to fish for their food.  Yearly, I have family members that pass away due to simple colds and sicknesses because they can not afford any medication, let alone enough food.  This lifestyle did not suit my mother, who worked many hours everyday to help feed her family, but to also one day be able to come to America.  My mom would do anything and everything from selling Bar-B-Q at a stand to pulling weeds for someone.  Her dedication and hard work paid off after years of saving and she was able to bring me to the United States of America so that I may have a better life than she did in the Philippines.

Everyday when I wake up and I see my Never Let You Down wristband, I think of my mom and how she never stopped working hard.  She never let me down.  Because of my mom’s actions, I now live in a free country with endless opportunities.  Thanks to Never Let You Down, I will always wear the wristband as an everyday reminder of where I came from and use the band as a motivational tool to remind me of where I can go as long as I always follow my dreams, just like my mother.

If you were inspired by this story, please send an email to: stories@neverletyoudown.com and share  your thoughts on how this story motivated you.

All messages encouraging Sheryl  to follow her dreams will be forwarded to her email address.

“You were so petite, so beautiful, so perfect at 6lbs. 8oz. We counted every one of your fingers and toes and couldn’t believe that you were ours. It was at that moment that I thanked God for you. Then, 17 1/2 years later, he stole you from us…”

-Debbie Sciullo; September 16, 2002

Melissa Sciullo truly had it all.  At the young age of 17, she had already accomplished what many of her peers could have only dreamed of.  From the time she was a child, she had an inexpressible passion for living and made everyone around her feel important.

As the oldest of three children, she strived to give her brother and sister someone to look up to.  She was a member of the National Honor Society as well as her high school’s concert choir and softball team.  During her free time, she volunteered at her church teaching a religion class to kindergarten children.

To Melissa, no task was too small to be viewed as important.  No person was too inferior to be viewed as special.  She loved giving of herself to others and never wanted or expected anything in return.

“She was just a well-rounded person,” says her mother, Debbie Sciullo. “She loved sports and music and was very, very proud of herself in her studies.  She had applied to seven good schools and was accepted to all seven her senior year… She was just on the threshold of really being able to soar.”

But on February 27, 2002, Melissa’s life came to a tragic end.

Picture of Melissa and her brother & sister

Now, nearly seven years later, Melissa is still as big a part of her family’s life as she was the day she left.  Everywhere they go and in everything they do, she is always there with them.  The Sciullos feel a sense of comfort every time they see a red rose growing or a cardinal flying by.

“They meant nothing to us before Melissa’s passing,” says Mrs. Sciullo. “They’re just around us whenever it’s a time when we need a little help or a little motivation, and definitely indicate that Melissa is always around us.”

Melissa is in every conversation and every memory.  When she died, her family members’ lives took on a new purpose.  They made it their goal to honor her name and to always keep her memory alive.

“The phrase ‘Never Let You Down’ has been in my mind since the day of Melissa’s accident.  It has sort of been our motto.  To say that I will never let her down is a goal I strive for every single day… Those words can mean different things to different people, but when you lose someone, there just really isn’t anything that’s more important,” says Mrs. Sciullo.

The Sciullo Family (Melissa, Debbie & Heather)

Shortly after her accident, the Sciullo family created a memorial website so that Melissa’s friends and loved ones can always log on to read poems, to write to her or to simply see her face again in the collage of photos on the site’s main page.

“Initially there could be a couple hundred entries a day,” says Mrs. Sciullo.  “But we still see how people come on, and when they’re having difficulties, they turn to Melissa… just for that extra support.  They feel like they have an angel.”

The Sciullo family also created a scholarship in Melissa’s name.  Each year since the accident, the Sciullo family has awarded one student from her high school with $500 to help pay for college.  Through the scholarship, they are able to help a local student while continuing to honor their daughter.

“At that moment, everybody in that room is thinking of her.  Not just the recipient, but everybody in the room,” says Mrs Sciullo.  “And as hard as it is for my husband and I to get up there and again put ourselves in the spotlight, in that moment I’m just so glad that we do that for her… And she just can’t be forgotten.”

Melissa Sciullo’s story was chosen as Never Let You Down’s story of the month in honor of her birthday on September 16.  Even at such a young age, she was true to the motto of Never Let You Down.  They were words that she truly lived by every day.

Click to read more information on Melissa

If you were inspired by this story, please send an email to: team@neverletyoudown.com and share  your thoughts on how this story inspired you. If you have specific story about Melissa Sciullo that you would like to share, please send an email to link above and the story will be forwarded to her family.

DEDICATION:

Selfless, ardent devotion and loyalty to a person or principle.

Written by Amy Varano

Some call him crazy.  Others call him an inspiration.  But Andrew Hayward doesn’t do it to make friends.  When asked why running is such an important part of his life, he simply replies, “I run for my father.”

Hayward has lived in southern New Jersey his entire life.  Despite living in a small town, he always stays busy.  But even working six jobs at a time isn’t enough to make him retire his running shoes.  It has always been something he enjoyed, but when his father passed away two years ago, it became more than just a sport.  It became a promise to honor his father’s name.

In July 2006, Elijah Dawes Jr. lost his six-year battle to cancer. He worked as a chef for over 50 years and spent most of those years working more than 60 hours a week. “He was always the provider for our family,” says Hayward. “He was extremely dedicated to his work and to his family.  It meant a lot to me to give back a little when he needed it most.”

After the death of his father, running became even more of an outlet for Hayward. “I changed my mindset from running for fitness to running for the memory of my father,” he says. “I think of everything he sacrificed for me and my family, and I realize that even running a 50-mile race does not do him justice.”

The last stretch of a marathon is both mentally and physically demanding, but not for Hayward, who chooses to sprint the last few yards of every race.  Each time he approaches the finish line, he admits that he gets a little emotional. “I start to think about my father’s strength and dedication to the family, and that fuels me with the energy needed to sprint the last 100 yards,” he says.

Picture of Andrew after one of his races

Between working at a restaurant, teaching a high school marching band and studying for a master’s degree, Hayward has very little free time.  But that doesn’t stop him from spending time with his loved ones.  “I promised my father that I would take care of our mother after he passed,” he says. “Being the provider he was, he could not let go without realizing his sons could take care of his wife.”  Although Hayward no longer lives at home, he tries to see his mother as much as possible. Whether they have dinner together or simply watch some television, he cherishes every moment.

To honor his father’s name, Hayward started a non-profit organization called, “For My Father.”  His charity has participated in the American Cancer Society’s “Run for Dad” for two years now and recently presented ACS with a $500 check after the race.  Over the next few years, Hayward hopes to continue honoring his father’s memory by expanding his organization even further and raising more money for cancer research.

When asked the question, “What does Never Let You Down mean to you?” Hayward replies, “Never Let You Down is what I say to my father during the hardest parts of my races.  I have made a commitment to honoring his memory and there is no way that I will give that up. I have completed every race that I have started, no matter how difficult it was.”

Never Let You Down means exactly that; no matter the situation, no matter how hard something becomes, there is something inside of each and every one of us that motivates us to become more than what we are. There is no doubt that Elijah Dawes Jr. is a proud father smiling down at his son’s accomplishments.

Andrew Hayward is a prime example of someone who is living the Never Let You Down mentality. His dedication and strength inspire everyone around him, and that is why he was selected to be Never Let You Down’s story of the month.

To read more Never Let You Down stories…Click Logo If you were inspired by this story, please send an email to: stories@neverletyoudown.com and share  your thoughts on how this story motivated you.

All messages encouraging Andrew to continue to honor his father’s memory will be forwarded to his email address.