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Parents Twitter Their Daughter’s Final Days
10 months ago, 2-year-old Layla Grace was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer. The prognosis was dim; Layla would probably lose this battle with her disease. As Layla’s parents struggled to appreciate the remaining days they had left with their daughter, they decided to share their grief in a decidedly 21st century way.
They twittered.
On the Twitter page Layla with Cancer, Layla’s parents documented Lalya’s diminishing health as they watched their child weaken with disease. I don’t mean for that to sound macabre; many of the twitter posts are beautiful and heartbreaking. Posts like:
Holding Layla, drinking Diet Coke, waiting for the snow to fall (in Houston!!) and listening to Eric Clapton’s “Layla”. Wonderful day!! 3:06 PM Feb 23rd via Tweetie
Layla is still in her bed peacefully sleeping like an angel on earth. Can’t wait until she wakes up so I can hold her!! 7:26 AM Mar 4th via Tweetie
Five days after that last post, Layla was gone:
Layla went to play with the angels early this morning. Rest in peace precious Layla. 11/26/2007 – 3/9/2010 10:43 AM Mar 9th via web
It’s hard stuff to read. The feed keeps coming as Layla’s parents describe not being able to sleep at night and making funeral arrangements.
Layla’s twitter has over 48,000 followers. Celebrities such as Ryan Seacrest and Paris Hilton became followers.
Before Twitter, never has the world been able to watch a family in their most intimate and painfully personal moments in real time. It’s hard to say if we are ready for this. While lovely in concept, for some it might feel strange, even wrong to virtually watch a child wither away. Of course, everyone who followed Layla only did so in support of the small child (okay, I can’t know the intentions of over 48,000 people, but I’m guessing even the nastiest of Internet trolls would not bomb a dying child’s Twitter feed). Which brings up a central question in today’s internet culture: with so many people willing to share the most private details of their lives, just because you have their permission is it still okay to watch?
Links:
10 Foods You Should Never Let Your Kid Eat
Parents Starve Baby as They Nurture Virtual Child
“Shocking” Teen Pregnancy Video Banned from You Tube
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3 Comments
Emmy commented on Mar 12 10 at 11:54 amSo sad…but obviously a way for her parents to gain some sort of control in a horribly helpless situation.
meNmine commented on Mar 19 10 at 10:40 amvery heart breaking sorry. I’m not a twitter even though I have facebook and cafemom. social networking is becoming more popular people looking for advice, sympathy, friends and someone they can confide in even if they’re complete strangers. I have to children. I don’t think I’d twitter. especially while their on there death bed. I’d be spending every waking moment trying to comfort the child. but at the same time I don’t think they were wrong to tweet such a thing. I just don’t think I could handle a death of my child I don’t think I could live on. even though I would be leaving the live child behind. I wouldn’t be the same mother they knew. If I stayed living after I think I would be in the insane asylum. I couldn’t look at the live child without think of the child that passed. Remembering the times we had running thru my head over and over again regreting punishing that child for the simplest things. I honestly think I would go insane.. god bless the family. and thank you god for giving me two beautiful somewhat healthy children .. Amen
meNmine commented on Mar 19 10 at 10:45 ammisspelled sorry was suppost to be Story / mother of two not to /
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