Washington girl with brain tumor who got call from 'Princess Anna' passes away

UPDATE:

AUBURN, Wash. -- Avery Huffman's mother posted this very sad news Tuesday:

Brandon Huffman ‏@BrandonHuffman 6h6 hours ago

"At 11:11 am, our beautiful daughter Avery went to heaven to be with the Lord. We will love her forever. #AveryStrong"

EARLIER STORY: 

AUBURN, Wash. -- A 6-year-old girl from Auburn is in the fight of her life, battling a rare type of brain tumor. But her spirits have been high since she got a very special phone call from a character in her favorite movie.

Avery Huffman might look like a little mermaid when she’s in the pool, but Ariel is not her favorite Disney character. She’s a fan of Princess Anna from the movie "Frozen."

Last week, Avery got a phone call from Kristen Bell, the actress who voiced Anna in the movie.

“I couldn't even believe it,” Avery said Monday.

Her dad took a video of Avery listening to the message and uploaded it to YouTube, where it’s now been seen more than 2 million times.

“To see the joy on Avery’s face when that happened, I watched that video close to 100 times just to see that,” said Brandon Huffman, Avery's dad. “You see the giggles, you see her cover her mouth because she can't believe Anna is calling her.”

Avery has been telling everyone what Anna said in the call.

“She said that I was an honorary princess.”

Her dad said it’s a title she deserves. Last month, they found out she has an inoperable brain tumor, known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). It’s why she has an eye patch, and has to be in a wheelchair when she’s not in the pool.

“It’s been pretty dramatic how much the tumor has swelled and pushed on the nerve, and caused her to lose a lot of physical capability,” Brandon said.

But she’s been fighting, keeping her spirits high during daily radiation treatments, and showing everyone what it means to be “Avery Strong.” It’s not just princesses who have noticed. Her classmates at Lakeland Hills Elementary School are also rooting her on.

“They want me to feel better,” she said.

Avery’s dad said it was a friend in California who arranged the call from Kristen Bell. He is so grateful that the actress took the time to do it and make it so personal. He said it really boosted his daughter’s spirits.

To learn more about DIPG and find out more about Avery’s story, go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/averyhuffman