Arya McDougall-MacLaine has big plans this summer.
The five-year-old Calgary girl is preparing to embark on a 50-night camping trip with her family in Ontario where she will visit her grandparents and swim to her heart鈥檚 content.
The little girl鈥檚 parents say they鈥檙e hoping to give their daughter a fun-filled summer before she begins an experimental treatment for cancer in the U.S. in the fall.
鈥淲e'd just like to do a lot of fun things with her this summer knowing that she's asymptomatic right now and very happy and energetic and we don't know how long that will last,鈥� her mother Petra McDougall told CTV News Calgary on Wednesday.
Arya was three years old when doctors discovered multiple tumours on her brain and spine. Since that time, she鈥檚 undergone five surgeries and more than 60 radiation treatments. Unfortunately, chemotherapy is not an effective treatment for her type of cancer.
After exhausting all of their options in Canada, Arya鈥檚 parents said they have signed her up for a clinical trial in Washington, D.C. that will attempt to strengthen her blood against toxins.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what the outcome of this could be,鈥� McDougall said. 鈥淏ut being told that you鈥檙e out of options and having your child put on palliative care is a very scary thing.鈥�
In order to pay for the trip to Washington, to raise funds.
鈥淥ur hope is that we can extend her life and continue to have good quality of life,鈥� McDougall said.
