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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Sometimes it rains on your parade, but that doesn't mean it's ruined.

As one local mother says, "its all about how you look at things."

Alia Bailey's 6-year-old daughter Elizabeth was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, located on her brain stem.

"She was never healthy, you know we have four kids and she just wasn't quite right, but doctors misdiagnosed her for three years," Alia said.

In March of 2009 they finally got it right, after Elizabeth suddenly stopped swallowing.

"It was really really scary, because one minute she was fine and the next minute she couldn't swallow," Alia said.

Elizabeth's parents rushed her to the emergency room.

"They rushed her to a bigger hospital and ordered an MRI, and that's when they discovered the mass," Alia said.

Doctors found the mass on Elizabeth's brain stem, and while it wasn't cancerous, they called it a benign tumor in a malignant location.

Alia said from that moment on her and her family's life changed forever.

"It changed very abruptly and very suddenly," she said.

Elizabeth spent months in the hospital and went through three surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation.

Doctors weren't able to remove the entire mass, but Elizabeth battled back, relearning how to walk for a second and third time.

"Elizabeth is the bravest girl in the whole world," Joshua Bailey, Elizabeth's father said.

Her mother agreed.

"She always has a good attitude and always has that silly smile," Alia said.

But just when things were looking up, tragedy struck again.

Last winter Elizabeth fell and was paralyzed from the neck down. Doctors said she would never sit up again, but Elizabeth had her own plans.

Just a few weeks ago, for the first time since her fall, Elizabeth took steps on her own.

"She's sitting up, she's walking a little bit and she just blows everybody out of the water," Alia said.

"I came out to the end of the hall, and Elizabeth was at the other end, and she smiled at me and put one foot in front of the other, and it took awhile, but it was glorious," Sam Rush-Walton, Development Coordinator with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Colorado, said. 

Rush-Walton has become close with the Baileys, who have spent many weeks at the local Ronald McDonald House.

"They've been patient, kind to us, and treat us like their own family, and that has been a blessing to us for sure, you know to have this organization here to take families in like us just to, it feels like a big hug 'cause when everything is falling apart around you this Ronald McDonald house is a safe spot," Joshua said.

Families find their way to the Ronald McDonald House when they have a seriously or critically-ill child.

"They get the news that something has gone terribly wrong with their child. They're often airlifted to Memorial Hospital, and they arrive, and they are already stressed out, and then they go 'oh my gosh, we don't have a car. Where are we going to stay? What are we going to eat?' and the Ronald McDonald House takes care of all those needs for those families," Rush-Walton said.

The Ronald McDonald House in southern Colorado has helped more than 8,000 families since their doors opened Feb. 14, 1987.

"It boils down to the basic human necessities," Rush-Walton said. "Is there a place where I can lay my head? Is there a place where I can weep if I need to? And the Ronald McDonald House becomes that for these families, and we become that support system for them and we're just honored by that."

The Baileys spent three weeks at the Ronald McDonald House while they looked for a place to live closer to Memorial Hospital. They also spent countless afternoons and evenings there while Elizabeth was in the ICU or undergoing therapy.

"They have no idea what it means to families like ours," Alia said.

Joshua agreed.

"We're just so thankful," he added.

The Baileys said despite Elizabeth's progress there are times when life seems a little overwhelming.

"If I look at one second farther than right now, I'm done," Alia said. "But we've learned to live with it right now, and for right now we're enjoying our kids, and we're thankful for the blessings."

When things become too much, they turn to their faith.

"We just put our trust in the Lord for every day and for every minute that he gives us life," Joshua said.

Despite original dire predictions, the Baileys said Elizabeth is stable, and while there is nothing more that can be done for her, her parents said her condition doesn't affect her cognitive ability, and she's just like any typical 6-year-old.

"She's silly and giggly, and she likes to play jokes on people, and she likes to call people names, like turkey and things like that, or cheeseball, yeah cheeseball, she likes cheeseball," Alia and Joshua said.

Elizabeth has proved anything is possible, and her family said they won't let the bad times outweigh the good.

"We believe that all things work together for good, and we're all about making a good experience," Alia said. "We're not gonna let cancer destroy our daughter, we're not gonna let it destroy our family and we're gonna be thankful for every single thing that comes along."

In addition to blowing her doctors out of the water, Elizabeth has become an inspiration to others, including her family. They said she is the bravest little girl in the whole world, and seeing her strength has made them stronger.