“I love chicken nuggets, art, gummy bears and dinosaurs.” This was how Makayla Peterson chose to describe herself to those on her Instagram page.
Courtesy of the Peterson’s
Makayla Peterson passed away the morning of December 20th 2016. Although her death was accidental, Makayla was never afraid to share her struggles with anxiety, OCD and depression with others through her social media posts. Makayla’s mother, Martha Peterson described her as a thoughtful, kind and spiritual girl. Many remember Makayla for her upbeat attitude. Makayla was always known for wearing a smile. When asked what her favorite memory of Makayla was, Orem High student Lexi England said, “It was probably the first day I ever talked to her. She came up to me in the hallway and said “Hey, I don’t know you but you look like you could use a hug.” and she gave me the longest, most sincere hug. Every day after that she would always give me a hug.” Makayla was always sharing love with others, even throughout her personal trials. “In February she had surgery, they took out her gallbladder and appendix, but she still suffered incredible abdominal pain. Some days she rated her pain a 6 or a 7 on the pain scale. She told me that it was always there and sometimes it was worse than other times. She still went to school and worked hard to keep good grades.” said Martha Peterson.
Makayla greatly enjoyed cheering for both Orem High school and her cheer team The Hive. “She greatly enjoyed tumbling and cheer and still tried to work out with the team every week. I kept telling her that cheer was too much and stressful and that she needed to quit but she would not give up. She told me it was one of the few things that made her truly happy.” Said Martha.
Makayla loved sharing her artwork with others. She ran a business, Mowgleti, out of her bedroom. Through her Etsy shop she was able to ship her custom painted shoes and jewelry all over the country. Makayla’s artwork could always be found adorning the walls of her bedroom, journals and even select classrooms among school.
Makayla’s close friends, family and classmates will always treasure the memories they were able to make with her. When asked about his favorite memory, Tony Rojas recalls “There’s so many. I loved Prom. The day date was awesome, we wore matching Star Wars shirts. We bragged about our group to everyone. She tied my shoes and I tied hers. We went to Get Out Games and we had a blast.”
“Makaylas biggest campaign was to prevent bullying. Some people feel that bullying is beating up on you, but saying something mean or snarky towards someone else is bullying. We need to smile more. We need to accept others for their differences and try to be friendly towards everyone. Please love others more. Accept them for who they are. Don’t make mean remarks about others. If you think of rude things to say, bite your tongue, don’t say it! Please show more kindness towards others.” Martha said.
Amelia Allred
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