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Classmates come together to make final wish come true for Tampa girl

As the old adage goes, when pigs fly. Classmates and friends decided to get together to make the impossible happen.

LUTZ, Fla. -- Classmates along with teachers and parents gathered Thursday to celebrate by releasing balloons.

It wasn't a typical celebration, however.

Morgan is like most normal, sweet 8-year-old girls. Her family says she loves summer dresses, arts and crafts, pretty hair ribbons and purple butterflies.

What sets her apart from most other girls her age is that on July 23, 2017, she was diagnosed with a rare brain stem cancer known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.

“But the biggest blow was when a group of doctors showed up in our room and said, unfortunately, there’s no cure for this." said Morgan's mom, Bhavana Patel. "It was the biggest ... punch in the gut a parent could have.”

Morgan's classmates gathered with balloons and high hopes to make one of her final wishes come true.

"I talked about it with Morgan, and we've been talking about it all summer," Patel added.

After putting it off for a while, her classmates and teachers decided to get together and make the impossible happen - making a pig fly.

One of Morgan's favorite animals was her friend's guinea pig, GP. They decided it was time to make GP fly.

In a safe way, of course.

“We may lose this battle, 99 percent of the kids do, but to see her smile every day and you know, especially near the end of her life, that’s heaven for us at this point," Patel said. "It’s just another memory that we’ll cherish forever. That’s basically what we’re doing, making memories.”

Doctors say there is not currently a cure or mainstream treatment for the type of cancer she has. However, there could be some promise for her story.

There is a medical trial in Mexico for a treatment that shows promise for Morgan. Now her family hopes to raise money for her treatment, but also to raise awareness for the rare form of cancer she's faced. The family's goal is $300,000.

To donate or support Morgan's cause, go to Morgan's website.

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