Help Mia in her fight 2 prolong her life with DIPG

My name is Mia. I am a fun, energic, loving, happy 6-year-old who loves to spend time with my family and enjoys going to school as a 1st grader. I also love to play with makeup, outside, dancing, watching The Descendants, Tic Tok videos, and I like unicorns. I am the daughter of Jose Reyes and Rose Hernandez and sister to 8 siblings. In the last few weeks, my parents had started to notice a change in my demeanor. My eyes had begun to cross, and I was falling due to a lack of balance. My parents took me to see two doctors to try and find out what was going on.   The doctor sent us over to the Emergency Room for lab work and an MRI on October 27, 2020. Within minutes the scans revealed a tumor. My parent’s worst nightmare just became a reality. I was transferred by ambulance to San Antonio, Texas, a 2 hour and 34-minute drive from where we live. Here I was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas (DIPG). DIPG is a tumor that starts in the brain stem. The part of the brain just above the back of the neck and connected to the spine. The brain stem controls breathing, heart rate, and the nerves and muscles that help us see, hear, walk, talk, and eat. Currently, there is no cure for this highly aggressive brain cancer, and it is inoperable. The prognosis given to my parents was 3 to 12 months left to live.  The oncologist tells my parents that she has seen patients live up to 18 months from the time of being diagnosed.  Did you know that approximately 300 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with DIPG each year? DIPGs are generally diagnosed when children are between the ages of 4 and 11. They can occur at any age in childhood.  On October 30, 2020, I had a port placed in so I can begin radiation treatment for the next six weeks starting next week. As my family and I prepare for the road ahead, we stay strong in our faith, and I am respectfully asking for your prayers.

We are humbly asking for your donations to help with any medical bills and other costs for Mia. Mia’s fight for prolonging her life a little longer is urgent. Anything you can do to make her fight easier is much appreciated!

Your generous donation, no matter how big or small the amount, will help Mia and our family during this challenging and unpredictable time. ALL your donations will go directly for growing medical expenses, an uncertain number of months off from work, traveling to and from San Antonio, Texas, and daily living expenses are going to add up quickly. Please help us as we navigate around this time and try to provide all we can to help our sweet daughter Mia fight this incurable, fast-growing brain cancer. 

Please find it in your heart to give today. If you are unable to donate, please know that your daily prayers for Mia and her family are appreciated, just the same. Please repost and share Mia’s story.