Bristal Brewster’s parents assumed she had hurt herself in dance class before learning the truth, which “was really hard to process,” her mom Brianna says

NEED TO KNOW

• A family from Idaho noticed their daughter, Bristal, was limping, and assumed she had hurt herself in dance class
• After her parents took Bristal to the hospital, an MRI scan revealed the heartbreaking reason for the change
• The local community rallied around them to help fund the medical costs associated with Bristal’s treatment

A family’s entire world changed when their toddler’s MRI scan returned heartbreaking results — but their community is helping them stay strong.

On April 2, Brianna Brewster and Bailey Brewster of Pocatello, Idaho, noticed their youngest daughter, Bristal, was walking with a limp. The 2-year-old was “hyperextending her knee backwards,” which struck Brianna as odd, she tells PEOPLE. Initially they assumed she had hurt herself in dance class. They took her to the hospital for an X-ray over Easter weekend, but when the results came back clear, they tried to put their worries aside and let their “bubbly” toddler enjoy the holiday.

“She loves people. She’s always smiling, and she’s a little spitfire,” Brianna tells PEOPLE of Bristal. “She’s got such an attitude, but she’s so cute.”

But then her disposition began to change, and Bristal appeared withdrawn, Idaho State Journal reported. Her physical condition worsened: She wasn’t able to use her left arm, and couldn’t “take more than two, three steps without falling over,” Brianna says. When Brianna and Bailey noticed Bristal’s eye had developed a twitch, they decided to go back to the hospital.

Doctors ordered an MRI, which revealed devastating news: There, on the side of Bristal’s brain, was a sizable tumor.

“It was really hard to process,” Brianna tells PEOPLE of the moment she received the news. “It was really scary. I mean, she’s two years old and she has this growth that they say is the size of a plum. It was heartbreaking.”

Just 45 minutes after they learned of the tumor, Bristal’s family was flown to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. There, surgeons began a six-hour surgery to remove the mass from Bristal’s brain — though the toddler “did amazing” and the procedure actually lasted just four hours, Brianna says.

Though the surgery was successful, it revealed the tumor was cancerous. The news was painful to receive, but her parents had already considered the possibility, per ISJ. Bristal was diagnosed with ependymoma, a type of brain cancer that most often impacts young children, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Four days after her surgery — and just over a week after Bristal’s initial trip to the hospital — the Brewster family returned home. Bristal now faces six weeks of radiation therapy. Because she’s so small, she’ll have to go under general anesthesia for each of five rounds of radiation per week.

“It’s going to take a really big toll on her,” Brianna says. “I know that that is going to be the absolute hardest part.”

Travel associated with Bristal’s treatment is another obstacle for the family, Brianna says. Since Primary Children’s Hospital, where she’s being treated, is roughly 2.5 hours from Pocatello, Bristal will need to be in Salt Lake City for the “majority of the time.” But Brianna and Bailey also want to provide their oldest daughter, Becklyn, with some stability, so they are trying to arrange some sort of “middle ground” that still allows them all to be together a few days out of the week.

Bristal, who turned 3 last week, is too young to understand the scope of her condition, Brianna says; she just knows the trips to the doctor have increased. But 5-year-old Becklyn is more aware.

“Seeing the scar on Sister’s head — she was very emotional about it. And so we’ve just done our best to try to explain to her that Sister will have some doctor visits coming up, and we’ll be on a little bit of a break away from each other, but we’ll video chat,” Brianna says. “So she kind of understands, but she’s doing good at keeping her attention on Sister.”

The two girls both just celebrated their birthdays, Brianna says. They had planned a “normal kids’ birthday party” for them, but with Bristal still recovering from surgery, they opted for a smaller affair. Becklyn and Bristal both celebrated turning 5 and 3, respectively, surrounded by their family.

Recently, Brianna decided it was time to share the news of Bristal’s diagnosis with friends and her broader community, so she explained the situation in a post on Facebook, she tells PEOPLE. In response, the Pocatello community banded together to help the family fund the toddler’s treatment and the family’s travel expenses, and to show support.

Bags for Bristal, a cornhole tournament to raise money for the Brewsters, will be hosted at the Blackfoot 6th Grade School Gym and Cafeteria on Saturday, May 16.

Brianna and Bailey are hoping to attend the tournament, though it will depend on how their daughter is faring that day, they told ISJ. Either way, the family is already moved by the profound public response dedicated to supporting Bristal.

“It’s been absolutely unimaginable how the community has helped and came together,” Brianna tells PEOPLE. “It’s truly amazing to see how much everybody has cared, even people that we don’t know. It’s just very overwhelming, but we’re so grateful.”

Brianna tells PEOPLE the most difficult part of Bristal’s diagnosis is how fast it all happened. The toddler’s surgery was just over a month ago, she says, and everything has changed since then. But Bristal continues inspiring her family with her progress, and in between all the big changes, they’re cherishing every moment together.

“She’s doing so much better with physical therapy, and she’s doing awesome being home with her sister,” Brianna says. “She loves being able to play. And it’s just been nice to be in our own environment for a little bit before we head back.”