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Thousands sign petition to rename sunflower farm after girl who died unexpectedly

DANVERS, Mass. -- The sudden death of a Danvers toddler has left a family searching for strength and has rocked a fire department to its core.

Kayla Rose Caron was just 18 months old when she died. Her father and two of her uncles are firefighters in town.

“When I think about what they’re going through it’s tough,” Fire Chief Robert Pyburn said. “This is just like a perfect storm this just doesn’t happen but it did.”

One of the girl’s uncles was among the first to arrive on that heartbreaking scene last week.

There was no saving her, but thousands of people in the community are hoping to honor her in a very symbolic way.

Kayla’s mother had taken her shopping earlier in the day and several days earlier they had been to see the sunflowers at Colby Farm in Newbury.

Danvers toddler's death is uniting thousands on the North Shore https://boston25.com/2l42CAW

Posted by Drew Karedes Boston 25 on Thursday, October 19, 2017

Photos of Kayla smiling on those trips are what the family has to hold on to after her unexpected death. The child is now being remembered as her mother’s “happy flower”.

“My sweet Kayla has pulled together an entire community and it demonstrates the power of love and kindness towards others and what it is capable of doing,” Kayla’s mother Danielle DeLisio told Boston 25 News.

Kristen Landers is the mother’s friend. She started a petition asking Colby Farms to rename their annual event and the field of sunflowers in honor of the young girl.

“What can we do to relate the sunflower connection to Kayla it already had that meaning already there this fueled the idea for the petition,” Landers said.

The petition already has nearly 6,000 signatures. To learn more visit www.change.org/p/colby-farm-honor-the-memory-of-18-month-old-kayla-rose-caron.

Kayla was found unresponsive in a crib at her babysitter’s house. Investigators believe it was an unknown medical issue, but an autopsy hasn’t been concluded yet.

Boston 25 News began reaching out to Colby Farm on Wednesday afternoon for comment. We will update this story as soon as we hear back.

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