There were a number of stirring performances Monday when Gaitway Farm held its final round of June qualifiers, but the most inspiring had nothing to do with any of the horses that went onto the racetrack.
The day belonged to Layla Mosley.
Layla, the five-year-old granddaughter of Delaware-based trainer Joe Hundertpfund Jr., is battling a rare type of bone cancer, Ewing’s Sarcoma. But she was on hand Monday at Gaitway, handing out lemonade to fans on a warm morning, to help raise money for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and childhood cancer research.
Layla Mosley hands out lemonade to fans at Gaitway Farms (Ken Weingartner Photo)
In addition, Monday was the final day of a 50-50 raffle at Gaitway to benefit Layla and her parents, Brenda and Keith. The fundraiser netted more than $2,600.
“The help of all the horsemen has been unbelievable,” Hundertpfund said. “Everywhere. All the horsemen have been so good to us. It’s been helping because my son-in-law has been out of work (taking unpaid leave to be with Layla) and this is going to be an ongoing battle.”
Layla was diagnosed with her cancer in early February and underwent months of chemotherapy before having surgery just several weeks ago at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to remove a tumour and parts of three ribs.
“The tumour started in her ribs and metastasized to her lungs and eventually worked its way out of her back,” Hundertpfund said. “The chemo made the tumor shrink to the point where they were able to take it out. Fortunately the chemo worked so well there was no sign of any tumours in her lungs; they did a biopsy and it came back cancer free.
“Now it’s three more months of chemotherapy, a little bit of radiation, and then just hope for the best.”
Layla’s attitude during her fight has inspired all those around her. Layla’s favourite response whenever anyone asks about her condition is, “No biggie.” Following her recent surgery, she called Hundertpfund and his wife Doreen via FaceTime and sang a song about “kicking cancer’s butt.”
“She’s so resilient,” Hundertpfund said. “She always has a positive outlook. She doesn’t feel sorry for herself one bit, which I think really helps.”
To visit Layla’s Facebook page, click here. To make a donation, click here for her YouCaring page (which also features a short video about Layla) and here for her GoFundMe page.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.