It’s with a heavy heart I share the news that on March 9, 2010, little Layla Grace Marsh lost her battle with Neuroblastoma.  I have been following her story since the end of February, after hearing about her from a post on Babycenter.com. 

I try not to read things that will affect me emotionally, because being a fairly new mom, I do find myself being overly affected by sad stories about children. But after reading the first post on the blog, I found myself reading through the entire site, captivated and unable to stop.

You can’t help but fall in love with Layla Grace. Reading her parent’s (Ryan and Shanna Marsh) accounts of the trials and tribulations they have all gone through since Layla was diagnosed last May, and seeing photos of that beautiful, blue-eyed cherub, your heart melts.

I began following them on Twitter as well, checking for updates throughout the day with the hope that there would be good news. I cheered along with Layla’s mom Shanna when she tweeted about poopy diapers, or that Layla drank some juice and was able to keep it down.  I was comforted knowing Shanna was able to hold Layla and comfort her.  And I cried along with thousands of others when we heard that Layla wasn’t doing well…and when without updates for 15 hours, we somehow knew what was later confirmed:

That Layla had gone to “play with the angels” early on the morning of March 9, 2010.

While I am happy that Layla is no longer suffering or in any earthly pain, I am heartbroken. Heartbroken for her sisters and parents who will miss her every day for the rest of their lives…heartbroken for a little girl taken too soon from this world, who wanted no more than to play with her puppy and revel in butterflies and blue skies.

I asked myself, why were so many of us touched by this angel? Why was I feeling so much for a little girl and family that I had never met?

Perhaps it’s because I have a young daughter and Layla Grace reminded me of her. They share the same sparkle in their big blue eyes.  Perhaps it’s just being a mother now, and feeling raw emotion for any child who is suffering. Perhaps it’s something greater than all of us.

I don’t know why I felt–I just know what I felt. Perhaps that’s the lesson of faith, working in mysterious ways.

Because Layla Grace and her family’s ordeal brought us the finest of lessons to be learned: this life is fragile, can change in a blink–and should be cherished every second. That there is still goodness in the world, and I watched it unfolding before my eyes–how people came together to raise money for the Marshes in their time of need, how people came together to pray for Layla and her family (and still continue to do that), how kindness was shown en masse.

We should embrace life as Layla did–with courage, passion, and pure happiness–even in the toughest situations. That little girl endured more in 10 months than most of us ever will in a lifetime–yet she did so with a smile and a spirit that shone so brightly. 

Despite losing their beautiful baby girl, her parents are now on a mission to help spread awareness of Neuroblastoma, which I had never heard of before reading Layla’s story. I am thankful to the Marsh family for that. And I’m thankful for them sharing their little girl with the world, to help remind us what’s important, help us become better parents, cherish our children, and to remember to have love and kindness for others.

I know I will remember Layla Grace each day, and do my best to continue a legacy of kindness in her honor. Though I never met her in person, she will remain forever in my heart.

Sleep well, little angel.

Yes, it’s been a long time since I’ve blogged…between the baby, the holidays,  and now a new job, I just haven’t had the time to devote to you, dear readers. For that I apologize. But two days ago, after learning about beautiful 2-year old Layla Grace and her touching story, I felt compelled to write again. Her story is heart-breaking and will stir your soul…and reminds us all what is truly important in this life–our children, our spouses, our family and close friends…the rest of it just doesn’t matter. We tend to get so caught up in the petty mechanisms of ”busy-ness” that it clouds our view of the precious people we too often take for granted.

Layla Grace Marsh is a beautiful 2-year old little girl who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma cancer about 10 months ago. She has undergone multiple chemotherapy treatments, a bone marrow transplant in November and has been undergoing a series of immunotherapy injections.  Everyone has been hopeful that she would win the battle with cancer, and for a while she was winning but in late January, the cancer returned.

So Layla is possibly in her last days or weeks of her short life now–but it has been a life that has touched so many in the last several months, via www.laylagrace.org blogposts and a Twitter page that her parents set up at http://www.twitter.com/laylagrace. Layla gained 5000 new followers just since yesterday. People respond on the blog site with their prayers for Layla and her family, and share with parents Ryan and Shanna how much she has touched their lives and either brought them closer to God, or reminded them of what’s important. 

We can’t imagine the pain this is causing Ryan and Shanna as parents–it is unimagineable to me how they make it through each day–and it is unthinkable what poor little Layla has had to endure with her treatments and hospital stays. She is a brave little angel. All we can do is send our thoughts and prayers and love to the Marshes and beautiful Layla, and donate money if possible to help with her hospital bills.

Layla has brought good out in so many people, has shown that people DO still care and can come together, even in Cyberspace–she has over 30,000 followers on Twitter at the time of this writing–and wouldn’t those followers  rejoice if a miracle could take place for little Layla Grace and she could somehow recover from her cancer.

I know I personally think about her every day now. I cry as I read updates, and look at her beautiful photos. I have a 7 month old baby girl and wish I didn’t have to work so I could spend more time with my baby, because Layla’s story reminds us you never know what hand you’re going to be dealt in life, or how quickly things can change.

So…leave the laundry…the house can be cleaned later…take some time today to tell someone you love them. Play with your children. Visit your parents, if you’re lucky enough that they’re still alive. Forgive someone today. Make the best of this life, now.  That is the lesson we can learn from Layla’s story.

Thank you, sweet angel Layla, for visiting us for as long as we are honored with your presence. I hope you find peace soon, and that you know how much you are loved and will live on forever in our hearts.

For more information, visit www.laylagrace.org or www.twitter.com/laylagrace.