South Austin girl in running to be Hasbro's "Toddler of the Year"

AUSTIN, Texas - A South Austin family is hoping to take home a big prize thanks to their miracle baby, Alioth Castleborn.

What we know:

Alioth is currently in the running to become the "Toddler of the Year".

In partnership with Hasbro, the national celebratory contest spotlights toddlers across the country in an effort to raise money for Toys for Tots. 

The winner of the contest will take home $25,000, star in a national ad campaign, lead the Hollywood Christmas Parade and get a trip to a Peppa Pig theme park.

Alioth’s mother, Shylah Rabourn, spoke with FOX 7 about the competition.

"We were scrolling through Facebook, and it popped up on our screen," Rabourn said. "I have a lot of family, so I was like hey I need your support."

That support has pushed Alioth to 2nd place in her group with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line, something her mother never could have imagined just four years ago.

The backstory:

On Christmas Eve 2020, Rabourn was put on hemodialysis while dealing with Type-1 diabetes.

But she and her husband had already committed to having a second child that coming year.

"We didn’t know what to expect," Rabourn said. "We didn’t know if she was going to make it."

Doctors told her the chance of having a baby was a slim 1-7%, but by January Shylah was pregnant. Twenty-five weeks later, baby Alioth came into the world weighing a mere 1lb 9 oz.

"I wasn’t allowed to touch her for the first month of her life," Rabourn said.

After three months of struggling in the hospital, Alioth was finally free to go home but had to be put on oxygen.

"She as almost drowning from the humidity," Rabourn said. "We didn’t know what to do so we took her off it, and the next thing you know she’s just not breathing."

After a quick 911 call and the help of paramedics, Alioth jumped another hurdle and has slowly but surely adjusted to a normal life.  

"She’s quickly reached her milestones," Rabourn said.

What you can do:

If you want to vote for Alioth, go to her page and cast your vote.

Everyone gets a free daily vote every 24 hours, but can cast votes at any time by donating through the contestant's page.

Voting for this round of group finalists will end on August 28 at 6 p.m. CDT.