Florida girl selling lemonade to raise funds in fight against rare cancer

TITUSVILLE, Fla. - An eight-year-old Florida girl is not letting a rare cancer diagnosis stop her from living her best life.

Vivian Sleeth is fighting diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG. It's a rare, fast-growing tumor that is aggressive and difficult to treat. The tumor forms in cells which can spread to nearby tissues and other parts of the brain. It has poor outcomes and usually happens in children.

Vivian was diagnosed in June 2022. Her parents noticed she was having some vision problems, so they took her to the eye doctor thinking she needed new glasses but instead got a diagnosis. Doctors only have her six to nine months to live, post-diagnosis. She is now on month 15. Her Mom is hoping for a miracle but also understands the reality.

"She knows about it and she knows what could happen, but she says she's not afraid to cause if God's ready then she's ready," Brittany Sleeth said.

If you ran into Vivian, you would never know she was battling this cancer. She is full of energy, loves to serve others, loves dinosaurs, and wants to be a police officer when she grows up. Last week, the family traveled to Washington D.C. to undergo an experimental treatment for Vivian's cancer fight. They will do this every four weeks.

This isn't a cure but instead, the family describes this as a way to prolong her life. 

Vivian and her mom are holding their second annual lemonade stand to not only raise funds but also awareness of DIPG. It will be on Osprey Lane in Rockledge on Saturday morning.

For more on Vivian’s story, you can click here.