This morning, I was rushing out of the house to drop off my daughter to school when I saw a tweet that captured my attention because it expressed sadness and had some celebrity names associated with it.
So, I linked over to the blog and in 30 seconds read a few lines about 2 year old Layla Grace’s mom rushing to get photos taken of her dying daughter. Being late to get my own daughter to school, I quickly re-tweeted the link and rushed out.
Because, you see, that’s what seems to happen these days with Twitter and Facebook and (dare I say Intent) and all my online tools. The death of an Olympian, a post earthquake story from Haiti, a trainer who dies at Sea World. 140 characters, perhaps a link, that emotes a moment of empathy. Just requiring a moment of my attention, and then on to the next thing. The re-tweet, a donation to a worthy non-profit, and I feel a sense of being involved, doing something, supporting someone, making a difference in my time crunched, busy day. 
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.
Perhaps its because the last few days I have been awed by my daughters – you know how as parents sometimes the every day becomes the miraculous when you just realize how cute and amazing your kids are. I have had a week like that – just been taken with my daughters. So somehow this story just stuck today…
And, this evening I found that instead of taking ten efficient minutes to peruse twitter to get a quick fix of what’s happening this instant, 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. I thought about my own cousin afflicted with cancer, about friends who have lost children, about loss and love and miracles and hope. I stroked my little ones hair as she quietly snored in her sleep, reading Layla Grace’s mothers words about her daughters impending death.
“She has managed to do more Godly works in her short 2 years on earth than most people do in 80. I take comfort in the fact that when she returns home, she will be greeted by the Lord and hear “Well done good and faithful servant”.”
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.
Mallika Chopra is the author of 100 Promises to My Baby and 100 Questions from Her Child. She started Intent.com to realize her personal intention to connect with others by sharing and listening to each others stories.
Read more from Mallika at Intent.com!
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posted February 27, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I stumbled upon this story a few days ago myself and it was the same for me. I’ve thought about her so much and I’ve really gone thru the emotions of it all and it’s so weird because I don’t know her or her parents. It has also made me think of my cousin who died of leukemia when he was 20 and my friend who lost two of her three triplets when they were only a few days old. And mostly I think of my beautiful wonderful 18 month old daughter and how much I love her and would do anything for her and how lucky I am that I can hold her and love her and how I plan now to do that so much more.
posted February 28, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Same happened to me a few days ago, I have found myself reading lots of stories similar to hers, all very sad. Little Layla has remained in my head and you summed up everything I have been feeling the past few days. Total sympathy and my heart goes out to her, to her parents and to her sisters.
posted March 1, 2010 at 12:19 pm
My husband is from Houston and his HS friends had many posts about Layla Grace on their FB pages. We followed suit. As parents of 22 month-old our heart breaks. We made a $30 donation to their family and I have left comments. Layla Grace is such a fighter! I pray she rests well in her final hours. Thank you for further sharing her story.
posted March 1, 2010 at 4:01 pm
This same experience today for me – started with a facebook post by my sister-in-law who is battling stage 4 colon cancer & has a one year old. We have walked thru so much with this young mommy’s battle against this monster – yet I was not prepared for the emotion that Layla Grace’s story stormed into my heart. I am moved beyond words… and having a granddaughter that is her age and looks a great deal like her I’m sure is not to be missed… but there is more here. I have not been so deeply motivated to ask God for mercy since… well maybe ever. And I am a prayer warrior with lots of use in my mettle. God may be reaching out thru her story – but Father God we still ask You for the miracle of her being literally raised from the dead!! Why not? We see the end of days all around us… why not herald in the return of Jesus with the raising up of this precious little one? Come Lord Jesus!! Show us Your power and mercy!
posted March 9, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Layla earned her angel wings this morning…she is no longer suffering, but the world hurts and cries today. Let’s keep her mom, dad, sisters & family in our prayers. Also, many may not know, but her dad was apparently laid off from his job around the same time that they received her terminal diagnosis in January. Those of us who can donate to help them, please pray about it and lets do it if it’s in our hearts to. In the face of grieving their precious baby’s passing, they are also facing daunting financial burdens like huge medical bills and apparently – no income. Please try to spread word of this to help this precious family in what is going to be the most trying and difficult time of their lives.
posted March 9, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Layla Grace:At around 1:30pm this afternoon, I found myself shut in a bathroom stall at my office sobbing uncontrollably, feeling deep pain for a family I never met Little Layla Grace today http://usspost.com/layla-grace-6947/
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