Taylor is a sixteen-year-old young lady from Holly Springs. Taylor was perfectly healthy until July of 2018 when she was diagnosed with Advanced Disseminated Lyme Borreliosis complex with Neuroborreliosis; Babesia, Ehrlichia Chaffeensis. She was hospitalized and in the Wake Med PICU in critical condition, complicated with acute respiratory failure and sepsis. At the time, nobody could figure out why this was happening to Taylor until specialists from Duke Infectious Disease and The Jemsek Clinic determined it was the above tick-borne illnesses. She will undergo aggressive treatment for the next two years in hopes of reversing the damage to her.
Taylor was a close friend of Meg’s since kindergarten. Taylor attended Meg’s last birthday party and was always such a good friend to her. Taylor said she knew her “guardian angel” would help her pull through her battle!
Taylor has always wanted to visit New York City. Meg’s Smile Foundation made it possible for her and her Mom to travel to the Big Apple where they saw all of the sights – The 911 Museum, the Statue of Liberty, the Broadway show Wicked, Carlo’s Bakery, and Little Italy to name a few.
Angela, Taylor’s Mom sent us this note, “Thank you all so much for the special “smile” for Taylor. There are just not enough words to express how much the “smile” meant to Taylor and us, especially since Taylor and Meg have been dear friends since Kindergarten. Taylor thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. She definitely smiled a lot and now has good memories that make her happy too! From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for the special “smile” trip to NYC and all that you do to support Taylor and others!! I know it must make Meg so happy and proud!”
We are so happy that Taylor is doing better – thank you for helping us make Taylor smile!
