LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — What do you do when you know you don't have much time left?
You throw one heck of a party.
"We're going to do it big," said Natasha Gumbs, Antoinette's mom, with a laugh. "It's going to be a huge birthday."
Antoinette will turn 10 on Jan. 20. Her little sister, Lyric, turned 8 on Jan. 13.
"It's going to be a joint birthday party for Antoinette and Lyric. They do a joint birthday party every year."
It's a tradition the sisters have gotten used to with birthdays just days apart. But this year feels different because it may be Antoinette's last.
Two years ago Antoinette was diagnosed with DIPG, a tumor on her brain stem.
"I guess you could say you can't really treat it," said Gumbs. "It can't be removed. You can't really treat it. Everything is really experimental. So it's a matter of finding trials to see if anything is going to work to shrink it."
Since being diagnosed, Antoinette has been through a lot, including five and a half weeks of radiation, having a trach tube put in and dealing with fluid on her brain.
The family was hoping Antoinette could be part of a trial, an experimental drug that may shrink her tumor. Still, in September, an MRI showed her original tumor stable, but another had developed. But their hope continued.
"We just actually came back from California on Friday from speaking with an oncologist there, but she's too far along for a trial now," said Gumbs, looking at Antoinette.
The family has run out of options.
Doctors sent Antoinette back home to spend the rest of her days with her family by her side.
With DIPG, the body shuts down slowly over time. The family expects this to be Antoinette's last birthday, where she has motor skills and the ability to communicate with her family.
If you want to contribute to Antoinette's Birthday Ball, the family has a wishlist on Amazonand PayPal account through Ayden’s Army of Angels.
