Lil' Miss #brAVA Can't Do it Alone!
Donation protected
I'm Alison and I have an amazing little friend Ava (#brAVA #AvasArmy) who's fought her way through more obstacles than most adults I know. I've known her fathers (Mike and Jeff) for over a decade and they're two of my closest friends. From dance recitals to cheer competitions I've been there to watch them grow.
On January 31st 2014, just before 3:00 a.m., my phone rang and the world as I knew it would never be the same. Mike was calling to let me know that Ava was going into surgery within the next four hours to remove a brain tumor. They had brought her in to the doctor earlier that evening for what they thought was a sinus issue/head cold. The news was obviously devastating. The next year and a half that followed proved to be an epic battle for Ava and her family.
Everything seemed to be going well but then on Friday, November 27th, 2015 (the day after Thanksgiving) I got a text message from Jeff saying Ava was being admitted to the hospital for what most of us believed would be monitoring / treating a virus that had been going around. Over the weekend Ava was experiencing pain throughout her body and couldn't keep any food down. Tests were inconclusive and with growing concern about the pain she was telling us she felt in her head Mike and Jeff sat by her side and waited for the doctors' next course of action.
Tuesday we (family and close friends) collectively held our breath as Ava went in for an MRI. Hours felt like days as I waited to hear about the results. Time passed in such a way that my gut was telling me Ava was going to be up against yet another challenge. When Mike got ahold of me late in the evening my fears were confirmed. Ava's MRI showed a new tumor - on the opposite side of her brain from her original one. Once again this fierce little fighter was going in for brain surgery. Wednesday, December 2nd 2015, Ava's neurosurgical team was able to remove the entire tumor! After a week of being in pain Ava was going to start feeling some relief.
Keeping strong isn't an easy task for these two loving dads, but they maintain for their girls. The challenges: emotionally, mentally, physically, financially are astronomical.To say that Mike and Jeff would move mountains for either of thier daughters is an understatement. Ava and her family have continued to battle this beast of a diagnosis to the best of their ability.
One of the most overlooked financial struggles involves travel and the miscellaneous expenses that come with Ava's complex medical needs. Ava is incredibly fortunate to have an amazing oncology team along with countless specialists at Massachusetts General in Boston. As you can imagine the constant travel becomes taxing as visits to Boston can sometimes be daily for weeks on end. All the while Mike and Jeff had been trying to hold on with reduced working hours simply trying to ballance all of the families needs!
That was until April 14th when Mike learned that he had lost his job as a pharmacy manager that he had held for almost 14 years. As if they hadn't been hit hard enough Ava was diagnosed with her third brain tumor. She most recently received another round of radiation and has started a new oral chemotherapy in the hopes of slowing this beast down.
There has been tremendous support through their friends and family and those following her journey through #AvasArmy. The generousity of complete strangers has been emotionally overwhelming at times for me to be witness to!! It provides hope, encouragement and lifts the general spirit througout their home. I, personally, know they couldn't be more appreciative of everything they've been gifted! However, I also know their house is bursting at the seams with stuffed animals and craft suppilies...
So, I'm asking my friends (and my friends' friends) to help me raise money in an effort to ease some of the financial burdons They are currently facing. Mike and Jeff (Ella and Ava) are actively at war with pediatric brain cancer. Please help me help my best friends (who I view as an extension of family) in their battle.
"And though she be but little, she is fierce." -William Shakespeare
You can show support through Ava's Army Facebook page and learn more about my amazing little friend! This family means the world to me and anything you'd be willing to contribute to help fight this battle would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my Little Miss #brAVA !!
With love,
"Aunty" Alison
On January 31st 2014, just before 3:00 a.m., my phone rang and the world as I knew it would never be the same. Mike was calling to let me know that Ava was going into surgery within the next four hours to remove a brain tumor. They had brought her in to the doctor earlier that evening for what they thought was a sinus issue/head cold. The news was obviously devastating. The next year and a half that followed proved to be an epic battle for Ava and her family.
Everything seemed to be going well but then on Friday, November 27th, 2015 (the day after Thanksgiving) I got a text message from Jeff saying Ava was being admitted to the hospital for what most of us believed would be monitoring / treating a virus that had been going around. Over the weekend Ava was experiencing pain throughout her body and couldn't keep any food down. Tests were inconclusive and with growing concern about the pain she was telling us she felt in her head Mike and Jeff sat by her side and waited for the doctors' next course of action.
Tuesday we (family and close friends) collectively held our breath as Ava went in for an MRI. Hours felt like days as I waited to hear about the results. Time passed in such a way that my gut was telling me Ava was going to be up against yet another challenge. When Mike got ahold of me late in the evening my fears were confirmed. Ava's MRI showed a new tumor - on the opposite side of her brain from her original one. Once again this fierce little fighter was going in for brain surgery. Wednesday, December 2nd 2015, Ava's neurosurgical team was able to remove the entire tumor! After a week of being in pain Ava was going to start feeling some relief.
Keeping strong isn't an easy task for these two loving dads, but they maintain for their girls. The challenges: emotionally, mentally, physically, financially are astronomical.To say that Mike and Jeff would move mountains for either of thier daughters is an understatement. Ava and her family have continued to battle this beast of a diagnosis to the best of their ability.
One of the most overlooked financial struggles involves travel and the miscellaneous expenses that come with Ava's complex medical needs. Ava is incredibly fortunate to have an amazing oncology team along with countless specialists at Massachusetts General in Boston. As you can imagine the constant travel becomes taxing as visits to Boston can sometimes be daily for weeks on end. All the while Mike and Jeff had been trying to hold on with reduced working hours simply trying to ballance all of the families needs!
That was until April 14th when Mike learned that he had lost his job as a pharmacy manager that he had held for almost 14 years. As if they hadn't been hit hard enough Ava was diagnosed with her third brain tumor. She most recently received another round of radiation and has started a new oral chemotherapy in the hopes of slowing this beast down.
There has been tremendous support through their friends and family and those following her journey through #AvasArmy. The generousity of complete strangers has been emotionally overwhelming at times for me to be witness to!! It provides hope, encouragement and lifts the general spirit througout their home. I, personally, know they couldn't be more appreciative of everything they've been gifted! However, I also know their house is bursting at the seams with stuffed animals and craft suppilies...
So, I'm asking my friends (and my friends' friends) to help me raise money in an effort to ease some of the financial burdons They are currently facing. Mike and Jeff (Ella and Ava) are actively at war with pediatric brain cancer. Please help me help my best friends (who I view as an extension of family) in their battle.
"And though she be but little, she is fierce." -William Shakespeare
You can show support through Ava's Army Facebook page and learn more about my amazing little friend! This family means the world to me and anything you'd be willing to contribute to help fight this battle would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my Little Miss #brAVA !!
With love,
"Aunty" Alison
Organizer and beneficiary
Alison Famisan-Levasseur
Organizer
Salem, NH
Jeffrey Frankland
Beneficiary