When Ava was unsteady on her feet and having headaches, her parents expected a brain scan would rule out anything serious. Instead, they were in for a shock.
Five-year-old Ava had a cancerous brain tumor called medulloblastoma that had spread to her spine.
Referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, Ava underwent a second surgery, proton therapy and chemotherapy.
She’s such a fighter. She’s such a champ. She’s tough, she’s strong, and I feel incredibly proud. She’s stronger than me. She’s stronger than anyone I know.
— Ava's father
St. Jude patient Ava and her father
Her dad was extremely impressed by his daughter’s St. Jude care team. “I’ve never seen such professionalism and care,” he said. “They don’t do it because they want money, they don’t do it because it’s fun, they don’t do it because it’s easy, but because they really believe in helping kids. It can only be explained as a calling.”
Most of all, though, he’s impressed by his little girl — empathetic, adventurous Ava.
Families, like Ava's, will never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.
Ava has now finished treatment and has returned home.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. With your support, we’ll be one step closer to that day. Join St. Jude in recognizing Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Let’s cure childhood cancer. Together.
Meet more patients
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Meet Ay'Den
Ay'Den is a kind boy with an easy smile. When he collapsed, his family was afraid he had COVID-19. Ay'Den would be diagnosed with leukemia and referred to St. Jude.
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Meet Eri'Elle
Eri’Elle was just two years old when her troubles started. Her mother took her to a pediatrician and insisted they run tests to get to the bottom of her baby’s symptoms.
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Meet Luna
When St. Jude patient Luna started to feel sick, her parents became concerned. Doctors in Guatemala confirmed what her parents had feared: Luna had leukemia.
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Meet Nova
Though Nova's eye cancer is aggressive and she is being treated for a second time, her parents know the doctors at St. Jude will stop at nothing to help their baby girl live.
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Meet Patient Lucas
Around Thanksgiving of 2020, three-year-old Lucas was complaining of headaches. His parents thought he just wanted attention. An MRI indicated something more serious.
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Meet Sariyah
In the summer of 2020, photos taken of St. Jude patient Sariyah by her mother showed signs of cancerous tumors in both eyes at the age of 18 months.