Taylor is the younger brother of Shane Smith and the artist behind this awesome design. Taylor was born at 28 weeks with a craniofacial syndrome known as Treacher-Collins. It is a rare genetic syndrome that occurs in about 1 of every 50,000. About 60% of the kids born with this are “new mutations”, which is Taylor’s case. He was in the neo-natal nursery at Baylor Hospital in Dallas for 6 months before coming home. He has had approximately 14 surgeries, all occurring before the age of 8. He was diagnosed with autism at age 4, but has overcome most of those issues. He also has Central Auditory Processing Disorder, which has been by far the biggest obstacle in his development. He is unable to process words auditorally, in spite of a hearing aid that allows him to hear. His only communication is through sign language, and he is completely non-verbal. He is also unable to swallow so is completely tube fed. He turned 30 this year and is incredibly gifted with legos. He has won 6 blue ribbons at the State Fair of Texas over the last 10 years, including one this year. His LEGO models contain more than 4000 pieces. He is very intelligent and has an incredible memory. Taylor is our 4th and youngest son. He enjoys going to Shane’s shows and loves riding roller coasters and fair rides. He also loves riding horses at Jake E’s riding roundup. Taylor is an incredible blessing to our whole family and I thank God for him everyday!!