Layla's Leap Of Faith
Donation protected
Layla began showing symptoms in Spring of 2019 and we just weren’t sure what to make of them…Deep down I knew something was wrong, I just didn’t know what…
Layla is a bright, happy, healthy little girl who has never even had the flu, strep-throat, or an ear infection. So when she began having headaches in Spring 2019 that caused her to miss school, her favorite activities, and Tylenol/ Motrin didn’t help, I knew something was wrong…
Her symptoms worsened throughout the summer and after countless visits with her Pediatrician, we were sent to a Pediatric Neurologist and an ENT specialist. After the first visit with the Pediatric Neurologist, our concerns grew even more because she, too, was worried and ordered multiple medications that, unfortunately, didn’t touch Layla’s symptoms. This started the long road to determine what exactly was causing Layla’s migraines and ear pain, that eventually turned into migraines, ear pain, facial pain/ numbness, and leg pain/numbness. Complications with insurance and Layla’s severe symptoms led to a late night ER visit on December 2, 2019 where not just 1, but 2 MRI’s ended up being ordered revealing the cause of Layla’s symptoms… an Arachnoid Cyst. The cyst is most likely full of spinal fluid and is actually a very common diagnosis that almost never needs intervention. Unfortunately, Layla’s is in a location where it’s creating severe symptoms that are constantly worsening. Hers is on her brain stem, compressing on the cranial nerve bundle and creating pressure on her left hemisphere. The actual diagnosis led to countless appointments with Pediatric Neurologists & Neurosurgeon’s to find the right Neurosurgeon for Layla. After finding our amazing Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Dr. Ronecker, we began the journey of seeing multiple other specialists that ordered their own special testing to rule out any other possible cause of her symptoms and multiple medications. All the special testing came back negative, which was great, but also meant that the arachnoid cyst was the only thing causing Layla's symptoms. In February, we decided to move forward with surgery, but with the risks of the surgery, we decided to try one more medication to see if it helped Layla’s symptoms so she could enjoy life a little before surgery. She travelled, played, and for the first time in a year, she was able to just enjoy life as a 6 year-old little girl.
Today, Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Layla is undergoing a left retrosigmoid craniotomy at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Today is just the beginning of another journey for Layla as she has an incredibly long road of recovery ahead of her. She will be admitted to the hospital for several weeks, including the Pediatric ICU, as she initially recovers. As you can imagine, these medical bills have been and will continue to pile up. We planned to have the surgery earlier in the year, but like many things COVID_19 had other plans for us. I am a single momma who has been out of work for 4 months and counting; we would greatly appreciate any and all help!
Layla is a bright, happy, healthy little girl who has never even had the flu, strep-throat, or an ear infection. So when she began having headaches in Spring 2019 that caused her to miss school, her favorite activities, and Tylenol/ Motrin didn’t help, I knew something was wrong…
Her symptoms worsened throughout the summer and after countless visits with her Pediatrician, we were sent to a Pediatric Neurologist and an ENT specialist. After the first visit with the Pediatric Neurologist, our concerns grew even more because she, too, was worried and ordered multiple medications that, unfortunately, didn’t touch Layla’s symptoms. This started the long road to determine what exactly was causing Layla’s migraines and ear pain, that eventually turned into migraines, ear pain, facial pain/ numbness, and leg pain/numbness. Complications with insurance and Layla’s severe symptoms led to a late night ER visit on December 2, 2019 where not just 1, but 2 MRI’s ended up being ordered revealing the cause of Layla’s symptoms… an Arachnoid Cyst. The cyst is most likely full of spinal fluid and is actually a very common diagnosis that almost never needs intervention. Unfortunately, Layla’s is in a location where it’s creating severe symptoms that are constantly worsening. Hers is on her brain stem, compressing on the cranial nerve bundle and creating pressure on her left hemisphere. The actual diagnosis led to countless appointments with Pediatric Neurologists & Neurosurgeon’s to find the right Neurosurgeon for Layla. After finding our amazing Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Dr. Ronecker, we began the journey of seeing multiple other specialists that ordered their own special testing to rule out any other possible cause of her symptoms and multiple medications. All the special testing came back negative, which was great, but also meant that the arachnoid cyst was the only thing causing Layla's symptoms. In February, we decided to move forward with surgery, but with the risks of the surgery, we decided to try one more medication to see if it helped Layla’s symptoms so she could enjoy life a little before surgery. She travelled, played, and for the first time in a year, she was able to just enjoy life as a 6 year-old little girl.
Today, Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Layla is undergoing a left retrosigmoid craniotomy at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Today is just the beginning of another journey for Layla as she has an incredibly long road of recovery ahead of her. She will be admitted to the hospital for several weeks, including the Pediatric ICU, as she initially recovers. As you can imagine, these medical bills have been and will continue to pile up. We planned to have the surgery earlier in the year, but like many things COVID_19 had other plans for us. I am a single momma who has been out of work for 4 months and counting; we would greatly appreciate any and all help!
Fundraising team: Layla's Supporters (6)
Whitney Davenport
Organizer
Glendale, AZ
Elizabeth Simons
Team member
Kevin Mesiab
Team member
Tabitha Cartwright
Team member
Erin Warner
Team member