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When a heartbroken mother from Spanaway posted a photo on Facebook showing her 4-year-old daughter's urn strapped into a car seat, she wasn't expecting the image to be seen and shared all over the country.
In fact, that was the last thing on Sarah Walton's mind.
"You should be here," she wrote in her Facebook post. "We made you a custom urn, you would love it baby girl. Unfortunately temporary urns are just boxes, that wasn't good enough for you, so I decorated it, until your perfect urn comes in."
Walton's daughter, Ellie Walton, passed away in January after a long battle with brain cancer. She was just four-years-old.
"Losing her was the worst thing in the world, but at the same time, I'm so blessed I got four years with her, you know some parents don't get that," said Walton.
Evening shared Ellie's story last year when her mom asked people to send Ellie postcards.
That request, also posted on Facebook, was met with a huge response. The postcards came in from as far away as Germany and as close to home as Port Townsend.
Then last week, Walton picked up Ellie's ashes from the funeral home. She said she was worried about keeping the ashes and urn safe during the car ride home.
"Driving you home the other day, I was scared, but buckling you in felt normal. Even though None of this is normal, none of this is right,” Walton wrote in the Facebook post in her daughter's honor. “You should be here. Death is so selfish baby girl. My heart is broken. I'm Literally hurting and torn, I know your (sic) in a better place, and yet no place is better than in my arms. I know your happy and pain free, and yet I want you here. It's been two months since I last kissed your cheek or played with your hair. It's been two months of pure torture, agony, and despair. All I want back is our daily life, whatever they entailed, I want it back. I want hospital visits back, and chemo back, I want your laughter, and your joyous heart back. The things that brought my heart so much pain, only a few months ago, I so desperately want back today.”
The post now has more than 6,000 likes and more than 700 shares.
Walton said she's been touched by the outpouring of support.
"It was definitely a shock to wake up one morning and see her Facebook page just be crazy with comments and likes, but at the same time I'm not surprised because she's always been able to change the world in a way that no one else can," said Walton. "It made me very happy that she's still able to do that."
She calls it a blessing to her family during a difficult time and thanked people who shared the story, for keeping Ellie's name and spirit alive.
