Layla Grace

Beautiful Layla Grace from Houston, Texas lost her courageous battle with pediatric cancer this morning.  She was 2 years old.  I have been following this little angel’s story on twitter (http://twitter.com/LaylaGrace).  Earlier this afternoon her parents wrote:

“Layla went to play with the angels early this morning. Rest in peace precious Layla. 11/26/2007 - 3/9/2010.”

It’s been heartbreaking to follow Layla Grace on Twitter.  I remember when I first saw a celebrity tweet to ”please pray for Layla Grace.”  It was one of a bunch of tweets on my home page that day.  But, for some reason, I clicked over to Layla’s page.  I began to read all the updates from her Mom and Dad.  I read about her story on their website, www.laylagrace.org.  I became so attached to Layla and her family because of their amazing honesty, raw emotion, strength, and spirit.  They let us into their lives.  I saw my daughter in their daughter.  Her big blue eyes.  Her love of pink and the book “Pinkalicious.”  Her love of tutus and flowers.  Her love of Hello Kitty.  Her beautiful smile.  Layla was only 3 months older than my daughter.  

I continued to read their twitter updates, website blog entries, and look at the many photo albums of Layla Grace and her two older sisters.  Every entry would break my heart, but it also inspired me.  Layla inspired me.  She STILL inspires me.  In the simplest of terms she just inspires me to be a better Mom. She reminds me to not let one day go by without telling my kids that I love them.  She inspires me to appreciate each and every moment with my family.  She inspires me to DO something.   I want to help, because right now I just feel helpless.  I want to help raise awareness for this horrible disease.  I want to get involved with my local children’s cancer charity.  I want Layla’s family to know that their daughter made me want to make a difference.

Layla Grace died from Neuroblastoma.  During a radio interview her mother said it is the most common pediatric cancer.  Yet most people still say to her, “What is that?  I’ve never heard of it before.”  I had not heard of it either.  There are about 650 new cases of Neuroblastoma each year in the United States and 50% of those occur in children under the age of two.  And now, because of Layla and her family’s outreach on the Internet, Neuroblastoma has touched my life.  And thousands of others lives too.  She has over 40,000 followers on Twitter alone.

No, I have never met Layla.  No, I have never met her family or her friends.  But I feel deeply connected to her spirit.

Is it comforting to know that she is now, as her Mommy and Daddy wrote this afternoon, playing with the angels. 

You completed your job here on earth, little Layla.  Rest in peace.

Somer Thompson

Everyone here is talking about the horrific death of 7-year-old Somer Thompson.  She was walking home from school Monday afteroon when she vanished.  She was with her twin brother and her older sister.  Today, her body was found in a landfill.

Everyone here is talking about it because it happened HERE.  It happened 20 minutes away from where I live.

What do I do with this information?

Do I become an overprotective parent?  I mean, I already AM an overprotective parent.  I’m a helicopter. I hover.  I am constantly holding my kids’ hands and they know there is a “time out” in their future if they run away from me for a second when we are out in public. 

I guess I never really thought about someone taking them away from me.  Until now.

After Somer’s disappearance, my husband and I started researching GPS tracking devices for children.  There are a bunch on the market.  Most are expensive, but all of them do the job.  They let you monitor your kid’s EVERY MOVE.  Everywhere they go.  Has it come to this?

A woman called into my husband’s radio show this morning with an awesome point.  She said that you can’t sit and think about someone snatching your kid or something bad happening  to them ALL THE TIME.  That would drive us all crazy and create an awful environment of fear for our children.

While the local news was updating us about Somer’s body possibly being found in a landfill, I was on two scheduled preschool tours for Bean.  It was just weird timing.  I’m about to send my little boy out into the world without me.  I really like the school that has locked and coded entrances.

Then, last night I watched Oprah on TIVO and the show was about the happiest people on earth and where they live.  Oprah interviewed families in Copenhagen, Denmark.  One Copenhagen couple felt so happy and safe, they actually left their babies to nap unattended in their backyard. They said crimes, and especially sexual crimes and kidnapping, were basically nonexistent.   Should I move to Copenhagen?

No. I love my country and I would never want to live anywhere else.  But today, I did look over my shoulder a little more when I was out with my kids.  I did give them lots of extra kissies. I maybe hugged them a little longer. 

And I also said prayers for our new angel Somer and for her Mama who’s arms will always ache for the daughter she has just lost.