A quinceañera is a day many teens look forward to. 

But for 13-year-old Angelina Garcia, it’s a day she may never see.

The Rio Hondo teen was born with two eye conditions — coloboma and nystagmus — that affect her vision. Angelina doesn’t have control of her eye movements because of it.

“There are times when I’m like, ‘why me? Why so early? I just want to be like my friends,’" Angelina said

Doctors say Angelina will eventually go blind because of her condition. 

“It’s a defect from birth, we cannot do anything to cure it,” optometrist Dr. Miroslava Garza said. 

Because of her condition, Angelina will celebrate her quinceañera a year early.

“She [said] ‘I just want to see myself in a big dress with all my makeup done and everything,’ and I said, ‘OK let’s do it then,” Angelina’s mother, Marina Gonzales said. “It’s’ honestly hard.”

Angelina’s family said celebrating her quinceañera is a race against time, as they worry the teen could lose her vision before her big day. 

Through all her troubles, Angelina said she's staying positive and leaning on her faith and family. 

“I am scared, but just having a feeling that God is with me and the support from my family, my grandparents, my cousins, my tias, my tios, everybody supporting me— is a lot of strength that it gives me,” Angelina said.

A GofundMe was set up on Angelina’s behalf to help fund her big day.

“The generosity and the big heart that people have… there's still good people out there,” Gonzales said.

Angelina's quinceañera is set for her 14th birthday on Feb. 28, 2026. 

Watch the video above for the full story.