“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.
Michael, Melissa & Heather
“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.
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, Debbie Sciullo, & Heather
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.
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.
Remembering Melissa Sciullo
Posted by nlydstaff in Motivational Stories
Written By Amy Varano
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.
Michael, Melissa & Heather
“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.
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, Debbie Sciullo, & Heather
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.
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.