All Robberies Are Bad -- This One Will Break Your Heart

It's never a good thing when someone is robbed. But not all robberies will bring a tear to your eye like what happened to Bryce and Trudy Nielsen of Spanish Fork, UT. Their story isn't some little candy-store thievery -- instead, it affected the burial plans for their 3-year-old son, Dayton.[sharequote align="right"]"Oh, he was an angel. He was our world."[/sharequote]

Dayton was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma in his abdomen in May. He started chemo, but the cancer wouldn't retreat. Doctors decided to operate on the tumor on October 2. But during the 14-hour procedure, Dayton's liver, kidneys, and ultimately his heart started shutting down. Two days later he died.

A shot of Nielsen next to his Teddy Bear. (Source: KSL-TV screen shot)

“Oh, he was an angel,” Trudy told Deseret News and KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. “He was our world.”

"He would just look up at you with his blue eyes, and you just couldn't get mad at him,” she added.

Trudy Nielsen breaks down as she tells her story to KSL-TV. (Source: screen shot)

The medical bills hit the Nielsens hard, so friends started raising money by starting "Team Dayton" to help defray those costs along with funeral expenses. They held fundraisers and sell bracelets. That's where the story gets even more heartbreaking.

Only days after the funeral, Trudy was running errands and picking out a headstone when she says someone snatched $450 in donations from her purse meant to help with the costs.

“It doesn't seem like a lot," Trudy told Deseret News, "but when you have a sick little boy, and then funeral costs, every little bit helps.”

Now the family is trying to get by while also remembering their little boy who loved to make faces.

“I'm going to dwell on the memories of my son and the happy times of my son,” Trudy said.

The fund set up to help the family with costs is still live at gofundme.com/Dayton. It's raised just over $9,000 of its $30,000 goal.

You can see some of Dayton's signature faces over at the Sit Still Photography Facebook page.