Layla Grace

Ya'll are probably ready for me to move on to my next tangent and maybe you read this, felt bad and never thought about it again. Maybe you didn't read because you didn't want to or consider yourself 'one of those' that just doesn't go there.

But this story, her life has seriously affected me. This post describes it perfectly.

But today, something shifted. Little Layla Grace stayed with me. I rushed around all day - school drop off to meetings to school pick up to errands to after school activities to dinner to bed time. And all day that little girls story, her mothers words about how they only had her for a few weeks and it was urgent to get photos haunted me.....I immersed myself into the story of Layla Grace and her family. And, I gave them my full attention, my tears, my emotions. I took time to really feel sadness, empathy, love. I thought about watching your child suffer from cancer - Layla Grace has Stage 4 Neuroblastoma.....And while the barrage of tweets flash on my screen, I know that this little girl has moved me in a way I cannot express. That somehow I feel connected to a family who lives far away, whose story I do not know, but for whom my heart is full of love and empathy.

And I pray that, Layla Grace, little angel, finally sleeps well and flies with abandon when she joins those angels laughing and playing in a world we can only imagine.

To read about Layla Grace, visit http://laylagrace.org and you can follow her moms tweets at http://www.twitter.com/laylagrace.

And Shana, Layla's mom just did a phone interview with Ryan Seacrest to raise awareness on Neuroblastoma, you can listen to it here.

I'm telling you, there is an overwhelming amount of empathy within me at this time. I feel the most desparate at - "laying here, watching my daughter die."

I can.not.fathom.

I think of Macy Grace. What if this was her? It could be. Cancer is no respector of persons. However, I cannot get entangled with fear and worry. God is in control of my life and Macy's life.

Every child deserves to live. They do. Let Layla's story bring you closer to those you love, adults and children. Cuddle and love. xoxo