As a parent, there are many things you do with your child that become routine such as brushing teeth or reading a story before bed. Buckling your child into his or her car seat to ensure safety, also fits into this category. That instinct hasn't gone away, especially for one grieving mom who just lost her four-year-old daughter to brain cancer. Little Ellie was cremated, and after strapping her ashes into her car seat, Sarah Walton turned to Facebook to share a message about her grief.
"Driving you home the other day, I was scared, but buckling you in felt normal," she wrote on Ellie's Facebook page. "Even though none of this is normal, none of this is right. You should be here."
Ellie was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor at just 4 months, which made chemo, hospital visits, and agonizing pain constant variables in the child's life. Ellie's childhood was definitely not defined by her cancer, as Walton wrote that she was a happy child who's contagious laugh could be heard throughout the hospital hallways.
It has been two months without Ellie but Walton has dedicated her time to helping others fight and beat pediatric cancer.
"This will change, baby girl, I will make it change," she wrote. "I will fight for these other kids so that no other mom has to buckle in the ashes of their babies."
Ellie's posts on Facebook have gone viral, as others are recognizing her efforts to raise awareness for pediatric brain cancer. We are sending Sarah and the rest of her family our deepest condolences and wishes for healing during this time.