The second time she saw him in tears was a few weeks later when they saw a Lots of Luvs for Layla gofundme.com account set up by her sister had collected $6,000 from dozens of donors, many of them strangers, in just three days.

“We just started bawling,” Jessica said. “I have no idea who half these people are.”

She said she knew a lot of relatives out of state would want to help but not the amount of friends of friends of friends.

“It’s overwhelming,” she said. “We expected it from family but not anyone else.”

Jessica said the medical community has been brutally honest about the situation.

“We still have to pay for everything no matter what the outcome,” she said.

Finding out

Mike first noticed there was a problem when he was changing Layla’s diaper and noticed one side of her body was lower than the other. A doctor felt around and something was not right; the area was too big near her liver. A mass was found using an ultrasound, and she was rushed to the emergency room at Seattle Children’s Hospital. A tumor was found in her belly, and they were told Layla had Stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer in her adrenal glands.

Because there are two such glands, the Beckstrands hope Layla can eventually have surgery removing one, and “the other one can make up for the loss,” Jessica said.

To reach that point, little Layla has to go through five rounds of chemotherapy. Each round every three weeks for four months she will be in the hospital for five days. She will have two half-hour treatments most of those days. She was set to finish her second round of treatments this week.

Layla suffered through itching and vomiting the first week. In-between treatments Jessica had a hard time getting Layla to take her medications, even when she explained it would make her feel better. Her mom had to trick her to take the meds.

“She hated feeling like a zombie,” her mom said.

Jessica said at first Layla was tired and “needed to be cuddled all the time,” but a blood transfusion “brought our little girl back.”

“She’s the best kid ever,” Jessica said. “She’s outgoing, she hasn’t lost that yet. She’s thoughtful and loves to share her toys. She lights up a room with her huge blue eyes.”

Layla’s aunt, Jeanine Smith, who opened the gofundme account, says online that: “She sits so still when they have to clean her lines and check her temp. Her strength amazes me every day. She is such a brave little girl.”

The Beckstrands are not looking forward to Christmas this year. That’s the day Layla starts her third round of treatments, which Jessica has been told is the most scary for parents.

Close to brother

Layla adores her 4-year-old brother Owen, who also is having a hard time. He “felt neglected” when she started getting gifts after becoming sick. But it soon went much deeper than that. Owen is very protective of his little sister and is upset he can’t help her.

“Why’s she so sick?” he would ask, Jessica said. “He thought the chemo was going to hurt her or kill her so he’s been asking a lot of questions about death and heaven.”

She gave an example of how close the two are. At Halloween, Layla was given a princess costume. “We call her princess all the time,” her mom said. But on Oct. 31, when they put the outfit on, Layla “flipped out.” She wanted to be “Hulk Smash,” like her brother, who was wearing a superhero costume. Owen came to the rescue, digging out an old Iron Man costume. She was as happy as could be.

“He’s a rock,” Jessica said of Owen.

Funding help

At first, Mike wasn’t happy that Smith set up the gofundme account.

“My husband and I don’t need other people’s money,” Jessica thought.

They have health coverage as he works for the federal government in Seattle. However, after talking to a financial planner, they found out they “have quite a bit to cover ourselves,” Jessica said.

The biggest expense has been gas, driving to the hospital almost daily. The cost of food also is adding up.

“Layla will not eat there,” her mom said, adding the hospital food is “gross.”

Future out-of-pocket needs could include ambulance rides and hotel rooms.

One concern the Beckstrands have is that if Layla comes down with a temperature she needs to get to a hospital with specific antibiotics within an hour or else she will be in a “bad place.”

“That worries me the most,” her mom said, adding it can take hours to get to Children’s during rush hour. As a backup plan, they are trying to make sure those medicines will be available for her at Providence in Everett or Swedish in Edmonds.

“We don’t want my sister and her family worrying about money when their attention should be on their kids,” Smith says.

Jessica said some people already are saying that the Beckstrands are going to keep any extra money donated to the fund. She said that is not true, adding any not used will be donated to the Seattle Children’s cancer unit.

“This is not for us, it’s for Layla,” Jessica said. “There are other kids who need help.”

She added that they have already donated some money to a 3-month-old boy there who is in need.

Sharing the story

Jessica said she wants to share Layla’s story to help others.

“I want to raise awareness that childhood cancer comes on sudden, and it’s scary,” she said.

She also is seeking volunteers to make Hickman Hiders for the hospital. She said they are not hard to make, and they are like a sports bra with a pocket worn by patients with ports. Layla likes one that looks like a Ninja dinosaur.

Smith asks people to help her sister’s family any way they can.

“They are so scared for their baby girl and scared for how this will affect her brother. Any amount that you can spare will help ease some of the stress.  Please give what you can, even if it’s just prayers sent their way.”

How to help

To donate go to gofundme.com in Marysville and look for Lots of Luvs for Layla. As of Dec. 18 there are now 134 donors for $10,072 in one month.