Help Layla Beat Cancer

Hi, my name is Joan, and I'm fundraising for my god-daughter, Layla Welch.

Please consider donating to help pay for my goddaughter’s cancer treatment. Every dollar counts and every donation is greatly appreciated! Please also share this fundraiser with your friends so we can help Layla receive the care she needs.

Layla’s Story

Layla is my goddaughter. She is 15 years old. Right now, she is having to fight a battle no 15-year-old should have to fight. On June 23rd, Layla was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma (more info here ).

In January, Layla thought she felt something moving in her nose. Her mom took her to the doctor who told her it was probably just a small sinus blockage. In March, she had the first of many sinus infections. The doctor prescribed antibiotics each time but she wasn’t getting better. She was treated for infections from March to May. In mid-June, she came up to Charlotte to see her grandmother and go to a camp. On her first day at camp, Layla’s grandmother picked her up early due to Layla not feeling well. By now, she had developed swelling around her eye. Her grandmother took her to see an ENT. The ENT noticed her right eye was being pushed forward and ordered a CT. Layla had the CT on June 20th. The scan showed a mass behind her eye in her sinus cavity.

Things moved quickly from there. Layla’s mom drove up to Charlotte to bring her back to their home in Atlanta. The ENT told them to take Layla directly to the Emergency Room at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She was checked into the hospital on June 21st. After more tests, Layla was told she had cancer on June 23rd. It was aggressive and doctors knew they had to act immediately. She would need surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. She had surgery that week and had her first round of chemo on June 30th.

In 10 days, Layla went from a 15-year-old enjoying summer break to a 15-year-old facing an incredibly difficult and unfair battle with cancer.

Layla is a fighter. She will beat cancer. She will get back to the things she loves to do like singing, dancing, drawing, and spending time with her siblings (ages 11, 9, and 18-months-old). The months ahead are filled with doctors, chemotherapy, and radiation. Her family needs our support. We’ve set up this fundraiser to help offset just a portion of the expected medical bills. Please help us to support Layla as she fights to beat cancer and get back to things she loves to do.

How you can help

It’s difficult to know the total costs for Layla’s cancer treatment as she fights this battle over the next 9 months. We know she will have 9 overnight hospital stays and 34 weekly visits for chemo between now and the end of February 2024. Radiation will include 36 daily visits from August to mid-September. Costs for these visits also include the price of the drugs, the medical equipment, and physician fees. She will also need periodic imaging tests to monitor her cancer including MRIs and CTs. On top of all this, her family has their normal monthly bills to take care of along with their three other children (ages 11, 9, and 18-months old).

We’ve set the goal for $10K but we hope to raise even more. Every dollar counts and every donation means the world to us and to Layla. Please consider how you can help Layla fight this difficult battle. And please share this with your friends!