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Throughout her short life, Taylor touched the lives of many shire residents. In 2006 local people banded together to raise funds to send the family on a holiday to the Gold Coast.

Taylor’s grandmother Debbie yesterday thanked the community for its support over the past five-and-a-half years. She said the holiday allowed Taylor and her family to create many special memories.

In 2006 major complications meant that Taylor was no longer able to undergo surgery to correct her deformed heart.

Specialists told Taylor’s family that she would not be able to have a heart transplant until she was at least four years old. They also gave the devastating news that, without treatment, Taylor was unlikely to reach that milestone.

“Taylor did eventually go on the transplant list and waited patiently for a heart transplant,” Debbie said. “But unfortunately for us, her transplant didn’t come quickly enough. Last Sunday, due to other complications, Taylor died in her sleep.”

Debbie said her granddaughter had experienced a few “special” half days at kindergarten over the past year, but due to ill health she could not continue to attend.

“In August Taylor was invited by the St George cheerleaders to WIN Stadium to be one of them for the night,” Debbie said. “It was one of her dreams.”

The team presented Taylor with a mini version of their uniform and taught her how to use her pom poms.

“She then went out and did her own cheerleading in front of 17,500 people, with Tay herself leading the experts in the rain,” Debbie said. “The girls looked after Taylor very well that night. She had an absolutely terrific time.”

Debbie said that all visitors to the Douglas’s home were shown the mini cheerleader outfit with pride.

“I actually cried that night, I was so proud of her,” Debbie said.

Adored in life, Taylor will be remembered with love in the future, not least by the two donor transplant recipients to whom she has given the special gift of sight.

“Taylor was able to give the gift of sight to two people who had been waiting for a cornea transplant since 2003,” Debbie said.

Her proud grandmother said that Westmead Hospital was able to exceed their previous Christmas fundraiser by using Taylor as the face of their cardiac campaign.

“She was proud of that,” Debbie said. “But we were all proud of Taylor. She took the life she was dealt with and never complained at all, right until the end.”

Taylor’s parents Glen and Leonnie, and brothers Cody and Jarrod, will carry on the tiny cheerleader’s legacy of helping others.

A funeral will be held at the Broulee Memorial Gardens Crematorium chapel at 11am today.

The family has asked that donations be made in lieu of flowers to the Westmead Children’s Hospital cardiac ward and Heart Kids.