CA Surfer, 16, Needs $350K To Fight Brain Cancer

ENCINITAS, CA -- California teenager Kira Stanley just wants what all 16-year-olds want: to drive and be independent. But to do that, the once-surfer, will need $350,000 to fight brain cancer.

Kira, who was told she had a brain tumor last November, was just a few weeks away from getting her driver's license when she was given the devastating diagnosis, her family said on a GoFundMe page.

"In a very short five-week period she went from normal and healthy teenager to a kid fighting a serious brain tumor," the GoFundMe page said. "It started as double vision which we thought was her eyesight since she had astigmatism. We figured she needed to update her prescription and visited the optometrist."

An MRI showed the teenager, who had spent months saving up to buy a car, had a "tumor attached to her brain stem."

Kira is now fighting the cancer at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, but each treatment ranges from $17,000 to $32,000. In an effort to pay for her medical treatment, family members have launched a fundraising page to ask the public for help. As of Wednesday morning, more than $292,000 has been raised.

Family members are planning a are planning a surf contest with the hopes of fundraising money for Kira. The fundraiser will take place on Jan. 20 at Moonlight Beach. The entry fee is $40 with proceeds benefiting the teenager.

For more information, go to www.facebook.com/kirascancerup.

--Photo courtesy of GoFundMe/Stanley family