Skyla, who turns five on September 1, was quite excited to start school this year - but the diagnosis has put an end those plans. Instead, she's undergoing 45 days of radiotherapy treatment at Starship Hospital.
In an effort at normality the family and the wider community have rallied together to organise a party for Skyla's birthday.
Offers of entertainment, decorations and food have flooded in since a relative, Alicea McKenzie, put up a post on her local Facebook page. Photographers, fairies, science parties and face-painters, are among some of the offers for the party that will be held Sunday week, at 10am at Ronald McDonald House.
Skyla's grandfather, Keith Hatwell, said the community response had been incredible.
"I've been overwhelmed with all the goodness."
Ms McKenzie, Skyla's second cousin, said she'd organised the party to "cheer her up".
"I know how excited my daughter was when she turned five, Skyla was too. It would be nice to take the party to her."
Skyla's father, Jamie Hatwell said his little girl had changed a lot in the past three weeks.
"The hard thing is she used to be able to wake up at 6am and run around 'til 6pm and now in the morning, a couple of hours after radiation, she starts getting tired again."
He'd first picked up something was wrong with his daughter when she came home from a school visit and was "stumbling around".
"I was concerned, but I didn't think anything would be wrong."
Even the doctors weren't alarmed at first, initially diagnosing an ear infection. But a follow-up visit to Tauranga Hospital and numerous scans revealed a brain tumour. Following their admission to Starship Hospital for more tests Skyla was diagnosed with DIPG.
Dr Michael Sullivan, a lead consultant in solid tumour and neuro-oncology team at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, said the incidence of DIPG was relatively rare in New Zealand, with only one to two children diagnosed annually.
"Radiotherapy is the best available treatment, chemotherapy was unlikely to work on the tumour and surgery was not an option either."
Ms Keating was aware radiotherapy wasn't a cure, but said it would at least give them a "honeymoon period" where Skyla could be a "normal kid" for a while.
In her online blog, Ms Keating described how hard it was seeing the effect the tumour had on her little girl.
"It will take all of the things she loves, it has already begun to take her walking, her speech, she can't move her left hand.
"Soon it will rob her of her ability to move, speak, hear, see, eat, drink and eventually breathe."
While Ms Keating was realistic as to what the likely outcome was for her daughter, she still had hopes.
"I hope she has an amazing life; that she isn't scared, that she knows she is loved and she has a peaceful death. What more could I hope for?"
About Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma [DIPG]
• A tumour found in part of the brain stem near the top of the spinal cord.
• It's located in the part of the brain that controls a number of important bodily functions, like breathing, sleeping, bladder control and balance.
• It's a diffuse tumour meaning it's not isolated and the cancer cells mix with the healthy cells.
• It primarily affects children, with most diagnoses occurring between 5 and 12 years of age.
• It's diagnosed in one to two children each year in New Zealand.
How to help: givealittle.co.nz/cause/teamskyla - any surplus will be donated to further research into child cancer.
