2017 Patient Spotlight - Layla Beckstrand

In the words of her mother, Jessica Beckstrand:

"Layla was diagnosed with Stage 4, high risk neuroblastoma on October 29, 2015, when her dad found a pronounced lump in her belly. We initially thought it was an enlarged liver. When we heard the words, “Layla has cancer,” our whole life, way of thinking and our family was devastated. Layla was 18 months old at diagnosis and her brother, Owen, was 4. Her cancer was extremely toxic to the body to treat. Layla went through chemotherapy, surgeries, transfusions, radiation, tandem stem cell transplants, fevers, and last but not least immunotherapy. It was awful yet amazing watching what her little body could handle and overcome. It was also remarkable and sad watching her brother go from being a kid to being a caretaker of his sick, bald-headed, baby sister. We have been through the ringer as a family, but have become incredibly close and strong because of it all. We were happy to have successfully completed treatment as of February 2017.  Thank you for your support of this guild and for letting me share our story with you all!"