Credit: Lila May's Birthday Princess Ball Planning Facebook group
HOOD RIVER, Ore. -- A terminally ill 5-year-old was given a dream day -- an amazing birthday, prom and a wedding all in one.
Lila May Schow has spent most of her life in the hospital or at the doctor's office. She has a rare childhood cancer, neuroblastoma, and doctors have not been able to successfully treat the disease.
Lila has stopped receiving chemotherapy treatments. Doctors told the family treatment is no longer an option because her body is not strong enough.
Sadly, she is not expected to live past Thanksgiving.
Lila's parents, assuming it could be her last birthday, decided to make the day extra special. With the help of local businesses and volunteers, everyone gathered on July for the huge party.
"We don't know how much time we have left," Lila's dad Ryan Schow told KATU, "and we have put up one hell of a fight. We just want to give her everything she deserves."
Credit: Lila May's Birthday Princess Ball Planning Facebook group
The family started a Facebook group to ask for help. A local bank donated the use of their building, a DJ offered his services, women dressed as Disney characters volunteered to appear and bakers donated cakes. Over 1,000 people attended the huge bash.
Lila, dressed as her favorite princess Cinderella, attended her birthday/prom/wedding. The sweetest moment of the day was when Lila's dad proposed and married his daughter.
“We wouldn’t have gotten this far and been able to fight this hard without all the help we’ve been given. We’re so very grateful for that. It’s all about making a little girl smile," Lila's dad, Ryan Schow, told KATU. "It's all about making a little girl smile."
