Many of you have followed the story of Layla Grace Marsh – she captivated our hearts with her big, beautiful blue eyes, her whimsical little smile and those adorable flower caps she wore with such charm. As many of you know, Layla became an angel on Tuesday March 9th, 2010. Though only two years old this precious little baby touched hearts across the globe and the world mourns her loss.
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LAYLA GRACE’S STORY (as told by her mother)
Layla has always been a healthy child, 80th percentile for weight, a great eater, a great sleeper. She is sweet as pie and a little cuddle monkey (she won’t let you put her down!). She has a very advanced vocab for her age which really helps us manage her pain and give her what she needs as her care continues.
Layla had a great 15 month checkup. At around 16 months her sleep habits and appetite started to change and she started to become more irritable. Mid March appetite began to decrease. At the time we thought we were dealing with a “picky eater”. Beginning of May Layla woke up one morning with a swollen eye. We took her to the doctor and she was treated for an ear infection and the doctor said the swelling was just a result of the ear infection. At the same time we noted that her belly was hard and somewhat distended. She had not had a bowel movement for a few days and we were concerned that she was becoming constipated.
The next day we took her to the pediatrician who put her on Mirilax over the weekend and told us to call back Monday. By Monday morning she was not eating at all, still no dirty diaper, her activity level had decreased and was rubbing her belly and lower back and saying “owie”.
Our pediatrician referred us to a GI specialist to see why she was so constipated and wasn’t eating. On Thursday May 7th as we sat in GI specialists office expecting to be told that Layla would need some kind of treatment for constipation we instead hear words like “Cancer” and “Leukemia”. A series of X-rays and tests were ordered and we were sent home to wait on the results.
That evening about five minutes after we walked in the door we got an urgent call from the GI specialist telling us that the test results were in, that things were not good and that we were to bring Layla into the ER immediately and that a team of doctors would be waiting for us.
Layla has a massive cancerous tumor (Stage 4 Neuroblastoma) in her abdomen. It extends from above her left kidney, around her side, over her belly and wraps around her aorta. In addition, the cancer is in her bone marrow.
Our sweet Layla went from normal happy and healthy to lethargic, in pain, and skin and bones in a matter of a week and a half.
HOW YOU CAN HELP LAYLA GRACE
When we at The Decorating Diva LLC learned about Layla Grace we committed ourselves to helping in any way that we could. We hope that you too will help “Fight for Layla Grace”. Your support is deeply appreciated whether it’s a prayer, a donation to defray medical costs or spreading the word to all your friends and family so that they too can lend their love and support to this beautiful child and her family.
FUNDRAISING
Even with great health insurance there are medical bills to contend with. Please consider supporting “Fighting for Layla Grace” through a financial donation. Family friends, Jennifer Medina and Sarah Tucker have created two wonderful fundraisers to help defray medical costs. Sarah, spearheading the Fall Fundraiser for Layla Grace, writes:
I have sent many prayer requests around , asking to lift her up as she has gone through some nasty treatments, but now I am asking you to come out and support the Marsh family as we raise money to cover some or all of the $40,000 stack of medical bills sitting on their desk at home. Layla is not out of the woods yet, she will begin radiation therapy next week and then after that is completed will begin the hardest and longest part of her treatment so far. Layla will be getting a bone marrow transplant starting in November and will also begin a series of immunotherapy injections, these injections are $18,000 a piece and she needs six. While the Marsh family has insurance that covers some of the costs, their coverage does NOT cover these injections at all !! The bone marrow transplant will also require a six week stay in the hospital in and out of the Pediatric ICU and constant isolation, due to the extremely high risk of infection.
The fall fundraising event takes place in Houston (details below), so if you live in the area please make time in your schedule to attend. If you are unable to attend you can still show your support by donating via PayPal or by purchasing a “Fighting for Layla Grace” T-shirt designed by Jennifer. 
More on Layla Grace:
Direct donation to Fighting for Layla Grace
Buy a “Fighting for Layla Grace” Tshirt
Pay It Forward for Layla Grace Marsh Fundraiser
