Ava R
California
Birth Date - March 23, 2004
Main Diagnosis - Lymphoblastic Lymphoma
THEME: Pink & Purple
Ava's Story
In mid February 2013 we noticed a bump on the top of Ava's head. We weren't too surprised, Ava can play really rough with her older brother Tyler. Still we would check it everyday. The bump did not go away, so I took Ava to her pediatrician. Her doctor said it was a simple cyst & we can leave it alone no cause for alarm. She did say that if it bothered her a dermatologist could remove it. So I took Ava to the dermatologist & she said the same thing, it's just a benign cyst. The doctor suggested leaving it and we could just watch it. My husband and I both decided we wanted it removed. This was supposed to be a simple in office procedure & it wouldn't take very long. That day I was able to stay in the room with Ava, as I'm watching the doctor work on Ava I could see her struggling. Things didn't seem right! Ava had local anesthesia so she was awake, I had to stay calm. I saw the doctor pull something out of Ava's head, she paused, looked at it and had a confused look on her face. She continued to work on Ava. I felt like something was wrong. She was digging in my daughter's head and pulled out another piece. Things weren't right. The doctor asked me to leave the room. This was done on Friday March 8th. The simple procedure took 3 hours. The doctor called me back into the room and said she couldn't get it all and it wasn't what she originally thought it was. She said it will be tested and we'll get the results. On Friday March 15th we were told they found A typical cells and would know more on Monday. Ava had to go back to the doctor to get her stitches out and we were to get the results. We waited in the waiting room while the doctor talked with my husband. We had a bad feeling and didn't want Ava in the room for the results. I'll never forget the look on my husband's face as he walked toward us. He tried to act normal as we drove home. When we got home we got Ava occupied with something so Todd could tell me the results. Ut was Lymphoma. I'll never forget how horrible that day was. We honestly felt like it had to be a terrible mistake! Ava is healthy and strong it just didn't make sense! I started looking around for the best possible hospital, and we decided Children's Hospital of Los Angeles would be best for Ava. On Thursday March 21st I got a call saying Ava had B cell Lymphoma. I called Children's and she was the next day. Ava had surgery on Wednesday March 27th, they also gave her a small dose of chemotherapy. She's had many tests. On Friday April 5th Ava was admitted for her first full dose of chemotherapy. She is on many medications and will has weekly chemotherapy treatments. The doctor said she will be in treatment for 2 years.
During Ava's treatment she has always been positive. She has been through many obstacles that a child should not have to go through! Ava has had many surgeries, lost her hair twice, blood transfusions, countless hospital stays, wheelchair bound, and she had to be home schooled. Ava is amazing she won't be finished with her treatment until July 2015, until then she will be positive. She has been raising awareness too!
CLICK HERE TO
SIGN-UP
CLICK HERE SEE WHAT HAS BEEN STITCHED
