A Whitley County family is rallying support after their 6-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumor last week. Millee Kate Daugherty of Corbin was diagnosed April 15 with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, at the University of Kentucky Children Hospital, accordi ng to reporting from LEX 18 News. DIPG is a fast-growing brain tumor that starts in the pons of the brain stem. About 300 children in the United States are diagnosed with the cancer annually, making Millee Kate one of a small, unfortunate group facing the disease. Her parents, Allyson and Samuel Daugherty, said the diagnosis came after noticing concerning symptoms. “Her gait became unsteady. She was very unbalanced. Complaining of headaches, dizziness, a lot of fatigue,” Allyson said. The tumor on the left side of Millee Kate’s brain has primarily affected the right side of her body, causing her to lose strength and mobility in her right leg and arm, impacting her balance, writing, and eating. The diagnosis has dramatically altered the active child’s life. “She just learned to ride a bike without training wheels last week,” Allyson said. “A week before her diagnosis she learned to ride a bike with no training wheels and now she’s struggling to walk.” Millee Kate was transferred to Cincinnati Children Hospital on April 17 to begin treatment. Her parents are considering a biopsy and radiation therapy but are still processing next steps for ongoing care. The Corbin community has mobilized to support the family during this difficult time. More than $60,000 has been donated to help cover medical expenses, and the Corbin Police Department hosted a lemonade stand fundraiser. “We’re truly blown away. We’re so thankful that our community has stepped up and rallied behind Millee Kate,” Allyson said. Those wishing to contribute to the family’s medical fund can donate through their GoFundMe campaign. This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from LEX 18 News. The original source is available at https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/an-uphill-battle-whitley-county-6-year-old-diagnosed-with-rare-brain-tumor-dipg. The post Corbin 6-year-old diagnosed with rare brain tumor DIPG appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less