I have seen true strength, it's the strength of a child
I have fallen in love with a child I'll never know, for a variety of reasons, the biggest being that Layla Grace is dying.
Layla Grace has Stage 4 neuroblastoma, it's one of the most common solid-tumor childhood cancers. According to Layla's mother, and the Mayo Clinic, there's a good survival rate, if it's caught in a child under the age of a year...it can be found with a simple urine test, at birth.
Layla's cancer wasn't discovered until she was 16 months old, after she held her back and her tummy and said "owie" and hadn't had a dirty diaper in a few days. That's when it began. She's 27 months old now, and still hanging on.
She's an amazing little girl, and after hearing her mother speak on Ryan Seacrest's show, I understand a bit more why I'd read about what little Layla's going through, and I was (and still am) amazed at the big smiles and the energy and the happiness radiating from this terminally ill child.
It's only been a few days since I was introduced to Layla Grace Marsh, via a page at Facebook, "Praying for Layla Grace," and immediately, I had to learn more. As I read through her parents' blog they've started about her treatment, and her twitter feed, I cried, for everything this little girl's gone through, for everything the family's gone through. She's 27 months old, and keeps shocking doctors and her hospice nurse, hanging on past their predictions.
I have her twitter feed on page 1 of my phone's applications, I check it almost obsessively, at least every couple of hours. I scan her blog at least every other day. And I found her youtube channel and twitvids and this little girl has stolen a piece of my heart.
I'll be devastated when her parents let the world know their beautiful baby is gone, but I keep praying for a miracle...and I can't help but wonder if what happened today means that maybe she wasn't as bad off as they thought.
You see, her cancer came back Jan. 22, and her parents were told they had anywhere from 2-6 months with their precious baby. A couple of weeks ago, according to her father, they were told they had more like two weeks. Her mother told Ryan Seacrest today that they'd been told she'd be dead the week before last, then it'd be next week.
She hasn't eaten in 13 days, hasn't had a bowel movement either, and is throwing up the byproducts that would normally be left in her diaper after she went poo. Well, today she had a dirty diaper. Not only taht, but her breathing is stronger than it was in the past couple of days, her heart rate's still strong too.
I check the twitter feed every morning when I get up, before I even have my coffee in my hand, sometimes before I'm even out of bed, and I've breathed a happy sigh as I saw that Layla's still hanging on. At the same time, I feel guilty, because I know she has to be in pain, but I don't want her to die. It doesn't make sense, and my heart goes out to everyone who has to deal with this horrible disease, not just Layla's parents, sisters and extended family.
They need to find a cure for this terrible disease.
Go to www.laylagrace.org, look for @laylagrace on twitter, or look for "fightingforlayla" on Youtube. She'll steal a piece of your heart too.
Layla Grace has Stage 4 neuroblastoma, it's one of the most common solid-tumor childhood cancers. According to Layla's mother, and the Mayo Clinic, there's a good survival rate, if it's caught in a child under the age of a year...it can be found with a simple urine test, at birth.
Layla's cancer wasn't discovered until she was 16 months old, after she held her back and her tummy and said "owie" and hadn't had a dirty diaper in a few days. That's when it began. She's 27 months old now, and still hanging on.
She's an amazing little girl, and after hearing her mother speak on Ryan Seacrest's show, I understand a bit more why I'd read about what little Layla's going through, and I was (and still am) amazed at the big smiles and the energy and the happiness radiating from this terminally ill child.
It's only been a few days since I was introduced to Layla Grace Marsh, via a page at Facebook, "Praying for Layla Grace," and immediately, I had to learn more. As I read through her parents' blog they've started about her treatment, and her twitter feed, I cried, for everything this little girl's gone through, for everything the family's gone through. She's 27 months old, and keeps shocking doctors and her hospice nurse, hanging on past their predictions.
I have her twitter feed on page 1 of my phone's applications, I check it almost obsessively, at least every couple of hours. I scan her blog at least every other day. And I found her youtube channel and twitvids and this little girl has stolen a piece of my heart.
I'll be devastated when her parents let the world know their beautiful baby is gone, but I keep praying for a miracle...and I can't help but wonder if what happened today means that maybe she wasn't as bad off as they thought.
You see, her cancer came back Jan. 22, and her parents were told they had anywhere from 2-6 months with their precious baby. A couple of weeks ago, according to her father, they were told they had more like two weeks. Her mother told Ryan Seacrest today that they'd been told she'd be dead the week before last, then it'd be next week.
She hasn't eaten in 13 days, hasn't had a bowel movement either, and is throwing up the byproducts that would normally be left in her diaper after she went poo. Well, today she had a dirty diaper. Not only taht, but her breathing is stronger than it was in the past couple of days, her heart rate's still strong too.
I check the twitter feed every morning when I get up, before I even have my coffee in my hand, sometimes before I'm even out of bed, and I've breathed a happy sigh as I saw that Layla's still hanging on. At the same time, I feel guilty, because I know she has to be in pain, but I don't want her to die. It doesn't make sense, and my heart goes out to everyone who has to deal with this horrible disease, not just Layla's parents, sisters and extended family.
They need to find a cure for this terrible disease.
Click to viewGo to www.laylagrace.org, look for @laylagrace on twitter, or look for "fightingforlayla" on Youtube. She'll steal a piece of your heart too.