Family leave home and move into tents to fund daughter's cancer treatment

Family leave home and move into tents to fund daughter's cancer treatment The Tanton family are doing everything in their power to make sure their 11-year-old daughter Katie has every opportunity possible to fight Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma The family of a schoolgirl who is fighting highly aggressive brain cancer are helping save money for potentially life-saving treatment by living outside in tents. Katie Tanton, 11, has been diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma a rare and often fatal form of the disease that predominantly affects young children. The girl has spent months in and out of hospital ever since she started to experience double vision and became lightheaded while in school. After she passed out during a cross-country run, the girl was rushed to hospital where medics discovered a mass growing on her brain. She began radiotherapy and her parents, from Denham Springs, Louisiana, were told her only chance of survival was through a costly clinical trial - 2,000 miles away. They have been on a fundraising mission ever since and have now taken the steps to put every penny they have towards the treatment. This summer, they decided to save on their rent money by staying in tents near the hospital in Ohio, a decision which also saved on expensive travel costs. Katie's mother Breann, 37, says the family will do what it takes with thousands needed with his daughter sleeping on an air mattress with her teddies 'I'm not going to lie, it's hot," she told WBRZ. "It's not as much fun as it sounds, not when it's more than just a couple of nights. "Her last MRI showed that the tumour had shrunk some and was unfortunately causing some 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." But there is some good news for the family - Jimmy Darts, a social media personality known for his random acts of kindness, is about to fun a new camper vehicle for them so they can help Katie while getting better sleep. Her father Austin described the news as every parent's worst nightmare. "It targets the brainstem, which controls everything from breathing to heart rate." he said. "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." Her mum said the family were comforted by the donations pledged as they hold out hope that the treatment works. “It’s been an incredible response from our Louisiana neighbours and beyond," she said. "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.”