Chloe Taylor, who will turn four in March, adores her grandfather, James Farrar. Taylor has serious heart problems that have resulted in three open heart surgeries, 15 catheterizations, 15 artery dilations, and 27 pneumonias. Her next procedure is scheduled for April. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler)

She's only three.

"We're still looking at several more surgeries," said Sandra Taylor, Chloe's mother, who hopes doctors will someday be able to correct her daughter's serious heart defects.

Chloe was born with DiGeorge syndrome, which means she was born without a 22nd chromosome. Her heart problems are a result of the rare congenital syndrome.

Sandra's pregnancy for Chloe, her third child, was normal; however, her history of giving birth to very large babies (her son was 11 pounds at birth) prompted doctors to induce her into labor one month early.

Sandra showed up in Murfreesboro on the scheduled delivery day and delivered Chloe in five minutes. The delivery was a breeze. Sandra had no idea that tough times lay ahead.

"She was a little blue when she came out so they gave her oxygen," said Sandra. "When they took her down to weigh her she quit breathing."

The neonatal staff at the hospital immediately put Chloe on life support and found that her lungs were good. This meant her heart was the problem, and she was immediately sent to Vanderbilt.

"They told me that it was most likely Chloe wouldn't make it," she said. "I cried. I had been crying all night."

The Angel Team at Vanderbilt worked that night and the following day to find Chloe's pulmonary artery, an artery that is needed to live. The pulmonary artery, which is short and wide, begins at the base of the right ventricle. It then branches into two pulmonary arteries, which deliver deoxygenated blood to the lungs.

After three days of searching for Chloe's pulmonary artery, one doctor found it ... but it wasn't working because it was too small. Nonetheless, finding the artery gave Sandra and Jason Taylor, a Unionville chicken farmer, something they didn't have much of until now. It gave them hope.

Next, doctors performed open heart surgery and also put a Melbourne shunt into the newborn's pulmonary artery. Six days after giving birth, Chloe was stabilized and Sandra took her baby home.

"We took Chloe home and I cried everyday because I knew she wasn't out of danger," said Sandra, a Shelbyville native who's the daughter of James Farrar.

Since Chloe left Vanderbilt Medical Center that day, she's had her arteries dilated 15 times, in addition to other surgeries, in an attempt to initiate growth of the pulmonary arteries.

Sandra has sent her daughter's medical records to the best hospitals in the country. They spent a day in Atlanta, one of the best hospitals in the country specializing in children's heart problems, but they didn't receive any good news.

Chloe also has a large hole in her heart, a ventricular septal defect (VSD), which doctors have been unable to close because her oxygen levels are too low as a result of her pulmonary artery defect. Doctors fear she'd never make it through the recovery process from that surgery.

A new heart would solve all of Chloe's problems, but she's not eligible for a heart transplant because her missing chromosome disqualifies her.

The only option the Taylors have is to fix what they can and hope and pray things don't take a turn for the worse. Chloe is at high risk for a stroke in addition to abscesses on the brain; however, Sandra said Chloe's been fortunate to avoid those problems so far.

Sandra, a real estate agent, auctioneer and manager of 300 apartment rental units for her father's business, said she feels lucky to have such a huge support system consisting of friends, family, doctors, nurses and volunteers.

Volunteers at Vanderbilt who run Saving Little Hearts have been a blessing, she said. Saving Little Hearts is an organization that provides families of heart patients with gift baskets that include calling cards, snacks, and other items that are helpful to families spending hours, days, weeks in hospitals. They also organize support groups where families can come and talk to each other about their struggles.

"It's an awesome group of people who don't get paid for anything they do," said Sandra, who'd like to join the group if she lived closer to Nashville. "They are very good people."

Recently, Exit Celebration Realty in Shelbyville, where Sandra formerly worked, donated $500 to Saving Little Hearts.

Despite the tumultuous times the Taylors have experienced, Sandra said she feels lucky compared to some folks she seen at Vanderbilt.

"I've met tons of patients from other places and I have felt lucky sometimes because I've seen these babies come in, and I've seen them leave on a gurney," said Sandra. "Other families live too far away and have jobs that make it impossible for them to stay at the hospital and that's what I hate the most. I try to hold the babies whose families can't be there all the time."

Chloe, who suffers from several respiratory problems, is currently stable and at home with her family and home-care nurses. Her next surgery is scheduled for April. It is crucial that they get her pulmonary arteries growing, something that Sandra said, "would give us a lot of hope."

Until then, it's all about waiting and having faith in God, said Sandra, a member of North Fork Baptist Church.

"We've got a lot of people praying for us...we're just trying to enjoy each day."

Saving Little Hearts may be contacted at 5629 Barineau Lane, Knoxville, TN 37920-7907, (856) 748-4605, or e-mail at info@savinglittlehearts.com.