Cost of living, transportation & medical expenses

On Thursday, March 3rd, my dear friend Laura was told to take her 16-year-old granddaughter, Laila, to Children’s Hospital in Seattle for an ultrasound of her leg. It had been bothering her, but on this day, it was swollen, and doctors wanted to make sure it wasn’t a blood clot. Laila’s leg looked good, but the ultrasound revealed that her kidneys were enlarged, which set off a gamut of testing. While scanning her abdomen, back, and pelvis doctors found a mass in Laila’s stomach. Then every parent’s worst nightmare began. Laila was admitted to the cancer unit at Children’s while doctors and nurses in urology and oncology worked to identify her illness.

On Friday, Laila underwent surgery to address her swollen kidneys. Her creatine level was 6.1, well above the normal range of .7-1.3. Her kidneys were failing. The mass was sitting on her ureter, preventing urine from entering the bladder and causing kidney enlargement. Tubes were inserted into Laila’s kidneys and routed out of her back, where nephrostomy bags help her kidneys to drain directly. Her kidney values are now almost normal, and she is much more comfortable.

On Monday, March 7th, her second surgery took place. Doctors laparoscopically entered Laila’s abdomen and removed samples of the mass and white spots in uterine tissue for biopsy. She spent the next week at Children’s, waiting for answers, while Laura and Laila’s mother Lydia took turns at the hospital. They were juggling getting Laila’s younger brother to school, meeting Laura’s work requirements and caring for Laura’s mother. She suffers from dementia and Alzheimers and can't be left alone. All with one semi-reliable vehicle between the two of them.

Laila’s initial tests came back inconclusive, requiring that the samples be sent offsite for further tests. She was released from the hospital, still with the nephrostomy bags, on Sunday, March 13th and is feeling much better. Still, before she left, Laila was officially diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a form of blood cancer.

Laila has been home since the diagnosis. As of now, her treatment plan has not been determined. She is currently required to have her blood drawn twice a week to monitor her kidney values and white blood cell count. Toward the end of next week, Laila will undergo a PET scan, a spinal tap, and a test on her bone marrow to determine if the cancer has spread or if it is isolated to the mass. Once we have that information, a game plan can be made.

Laura is currently the only one working in the household,.All funds raised from this GoFundMe will go towards household bills, gas, food and medical expenses for Laila. Allowing Laura to take time away from work to be with her granddaughter as she begins this uncertain chapter.

At just 16 years old, Laila is about to go through an experience that most adults have difficulty coping with. Your support is sincerely appreciated and greatly needed as Laila adjusts to her new life.

Updates will be posted as we know more

Thank you.