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 "Lukemia". 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 can you help?
*Pray pray and pray some more!
*There are several blood drives being set up in Layla's honor. Blood transfusions are common for children receiving chemotherapy. Email FightForLayla@gmail.com if your neighborhood/church/place of business or other group would like to hold a drive for Layla.
*A CareCalendar has been set up to provide food for Ryan and Shanna. You can sign up to bring them a meal or to have a meal sent to them by one of the several area restaurants that deliver to the hospital. Go to www.CareCalendar.org to sign up. The Calendar ID is 16273 and the Security Code is 1111. The link to the restaurants that deliever is: http://www.texaschildrens.org/AllAbout/VisitingTheHospital/Places_Eat.aspx Layla is currently in room 907.
*A PayPal account has been set up in Layla's name. For help with sending a gift visit www.PayPal.com and sign in to your account. Send to FightForLayla@gmail.com and please specify in the message box if you would like the money to go towards a care package for the family (something sweet for Layla, something to make hospital living more comfortable for Ryan and Shanna or something to lift the spirits of Layla's sisters, Jenna and Claire), a meal for the family, a direct cash donation to the family or any other ideas you may have. I will try my best to get your gift delivered to the family as quickly as possible.
