- November 4, 2024
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Marisa Marchena, Alexis Musselman, Toni Musselman, Eryn Harris and Grace Spears enjoy cotton candy at Toni's Sweet 16. Photo by Paige Wilson
Alexis Musselman puts makeup on her sister Toni Musselman before Toni's Sweet 16 birthday party. Photo by Paige Wilson
Toni Musselman sits on the couch as her mother Nicole Koller gives her medicine to fight a leg infection. Toni's father John Koller sits on the couch behind them. Toni takes the medicine every eight hours. Photo by Paige Wilson
Alexis Musselman applies eyeliner to her sister Toni Musselman before Toni's Sweet 16. Photo by Paige Wilson
The family's cars have Team Toni Tough orange ribbon stickers on them. Photo by Paige Wilson
Alexis Musselman combed through a light blue cosmetic case in search of the perfect eye shadow palette to apply on her younger sister Toniann Musselman. Sitting on the red couch in their Palm Coast home, the sisters were getting ready for Toni’s Sweet 16 birthday party on April 21.
Toni, a sophomore at Flagler Palm Coast High School, had to spend her official sixteenth birthday at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville on April 6 — as she’s currently fighting multi-cell leukemia. Her family and hospital staff celebrated with her then, but on Saturday, Toni got to ring in this milestone birthday with her friends and family in the Palm Coast Community Center.
Toni’s mother Nicole Koller said it felt “absolutely amazing” to be able to help throw this party for her daughter, who had to return to the hospital on April 24 to continue treatment.
“It was great,” said John Koller, Toni’s father. “I mean, just to watch her smile, and we’ve never had a huge party like that. We’re just not those kinds of people. ... But we didn’t throw it; it was the community that threw it. I was proud to be apart of this community. I told (Nicole) that I’m really glad we moved here.”
The community is rallying behind the family through the GoFundMe account: gofundme.com/team-toni-tough.
