The Tanton family, from Denham Springs, Louisiana, are living in tents near a hospital in Ohio to save money for their 11-year-old daughter Katie's potentially life-saving treatment for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a rare and often fatal brain cancer that predominantly affects young children.
Katie began experiencing double vision and lightheadedness at school, and after passing out during a cross-country run, she was rushed to hospital where medics discovered a mass on her brain. She started radiotherapy, and her parents were told her only chance of survival was through a costly clinical trial 2,000 miles away.
Camping to Save Money
This summer, the family decided to save on rent and travel costs by staying in tents near the hospital. Katie's mother Breann, 37, told WBRZ: "I'm not going to lie, it's hot. It's not as much fun as it sounds, not when it's more than just a couple of nights."
Her last MRI showed the tumour had shrunk some but was causing necrosis. "Unfortunately, the way it was explained to us is that the brain doesn't know the difference between the tumour and the dead tumour," she said.
Community Support and Good News
There is good news for the family: social media personality Jimmy Darts, known for random acts of kindness, is about to fund a new camper vehicle for them. Her father Austin described the news as every parent's worst nightmare. "It targets the brainstem, which controls everything from breathing to heart rate. The facts are brutal - it has a near zero percent survival rate, and most children only live nine to 11 months after diagnosis. Because the tumour grows into the healthy brain tissue, it can't be removed by surgery," he said.
Her mother said the family were comforted by the donations pledged. "It's been an incredible response from our Louisiana neighbours and beyond. It finally feels like a little bit of the weight has been lifted. We've received so many kind and loving messages and over $5,000 on our GoFundMe page in 24 hours," she said.
