Ava Wood's Leukemia Journey

On September 16 2022 my brother Michael and his wife Rebecca received the devastating news that Ava their six year old daughter has leukemia. They were told to get Ava to the Queensland Children’s Hospital urgently, where within two hours of their arrival she was receiving her first blood transfusion. This was the start of Ava’s two- year treatment plan.

Ava has leukemia type B-cell ALL which is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. One week prior to her diagnosis, Ava was complaining with sore legs, headaches and had a temperature and at times was unable to keep food down. This prompted Michael and Rebecca to take her to the medical clinic where the doctor ordered bloods. The results of the blood test pointed to the leukemia diagnosis which was later confirmed by doctors at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. To say that this family’s world has been turned upside down is an understatement.

Ava is the youngest of three sisters. Ella is ten and Zoe is eight. The three sisters already had a tight bonded relationship and have formed even tighter bonds now. In addition to big sisters Ella and Zoe have taken on the roles of nurses, colouring-in buddies, word game companions, board game extraordinaires and movie buffs! Ava has sense of humour to rival any professional comedian! She has this whole family laughing along with her most of the time. There are times when the pain is a bit much and we can’t induce that big smile, however we know it’s just around the corner because Ava is one tough cookie and she is tackling this head on with such bravery.

My brother and his wife will do anything to keep their little girl feeling safe and happy throughout this process as all of us parents can relate to. Ava spent the first week in Ward 11B of the Queensland Children’s Hospital and the following four weeks at Ronald McDonald House. This has taken Michael and Rebecca away from their jobs and made it difficult to maintain a steady income. My main reason for setting up this page is to assist the family financially. I’m hoping to raise enough funds to help them with loss of income, costs of medicines, travel expenses and parking expenses. Even the smallest of donations will make a difference for my little niece.