Layla was a normal four-year old girl, described by her mother as “bright, active, and happy.” Her life was normal until about a few weeks after her fourth birthday. She complained of a headache, which soon worsened, and she began to throw up.
Eventually, Layla’s mother took her to the pediatrician, who unfortunately chalked it up to nothing more than a stomach virus, but Layla’s family felt there was something more serious going on with Layla’s health.
Layla was eventually diagnosed with a form of brain cancer called Medulloblastoma. According to cancer.gov, “Medulloblastoma is a primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor. This means it begins in the brain or spinal cord. To get an accurate diagnosis, a piece of tumor tissue will be removed during surgery, if possible. A neuropathologist should then review the tumor tissue.”
It is an aggressive form of cancer that can spread quickly and be lethal, even with the most advanced treatment.
Upon returning home after the initial treatment, Layla began to display symptoms of Posterior Fossa Syndrome. Posterior Fossa Syndrome is a condition that occurs in several young children after undergoing brain surgery. The symptoms include strange speech patterns, loss of speech entirely, and less movement. Layla was not the same happy four-year old she once was, but the family never stopped trying.
The family says they were hopeful, but unfortunately hope wasn’t enough. All they had now was their faith, which got them through the hardships of Layla’s condition. The family was advised by doctors that there wasn’t much time left, and they should get anything they wished to do done as soon as possible. They made a Make-a-Wish trip was to Disneyland.
After the trip, tragedy struck. There was no way to cure Layla, and she passed away on Nov. 11, 2017.
The loss of a child left Layla’s family shaken and yearning for closure, and they decided to start their very own charity, Layla’s Legacy.
The family writes that, “Our hearts are broken without her sweet smile and spunky spirit, but we know that we will see her again one day. Until then, our family will continue to work towards finding a cure. That is why Layla’s Legacy funds innovative pediatric brain cancer research while bringing hope and help to families impacted by the disease.”
Donations to Layla’s Legacy go toward research to find out more about brain cancer in children; 60 percent of donations go toward research. The charity also funds families who are having financial troubles related to caring for a child with cancer.