It wasn’t until she turned two that Leanne and James Wake noticed something unusual about their little girl, Ava.
While the Melbourne-based parents assumed that their daughter was ‘teething’, in fact her ‘agitated and unsettled nature’ was hiding something more serious.
It was only when Leanne and James took her to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne for a full-body MRI that they found out Ava was fighting stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a very aggressive form of cancer with a terrifying prognosis.
‘I heard the words and then it was all background noise,’ Leanne, 31, recalled to FEMAIL. ‘I felt shell shocked. I could see them talking but couldn’t comprehend anything past the word cancer.’
While the Melbourne-based parents assumed that their daughter Ava (pictured) was ‘teething’, in fact her ‘agitated and unsettled nature’ was hiding something more serious
It was only when Leanne and James took Ava (pictured) to the Royal Children’s Hospital that they found out Ava was fighting Neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer
‘I felt shell shocked. I could see them talking but couldn’t comprehend anything past the word cancer,’ Leanne (pictured with her family) said of when she found out
Leanne and James explained that while little Ava had always been sunny and happy in disposition, after celebrating her second birthday, they knew something was up.
‘We thought it was teething, but it kept getting worse,’ Leanne said.
‘She wasn’t sleeping, she was crying all the time and had fevers. We took her to the doctors three times, and were told it was viral, and then a UTI.
‘But we knew it wasn’t a simple virus or a UTI so we took her to the emergency department in the Royal Children’s Hospital.
‘When we found out, it was very surreal. We were so overwhelmed and didn’t want to believe it. But it felt as though someone had already taken her away and given a death sentence.’
The terrified mum and dad were also told that Ava’s best chance for survival is a new trial treatment only available at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City, which carries an extremely hefty $350,000 price tag.
The terrified mum and dad were also told that Ava’s (pictured) best chance for survival is a new trial treatment only available in New York City, which carries a hefty $350,000 price tag
Originally, Leanne thought that Ava (pictured) was struggling with teething issues, as she wasn’t sleeping and was always crying
Ava (pictured with her family) is in the middle of her sixth round of chemotherapy – she has had multiple invasive surgeries
Heading home with the news, Leanne and James set up a fundraising page to help to raise money to get Ava the treatment she so desperately needs in order to live past the age of five.
While the treatment has results, the vaccine currently doesn’t receive funding – which means Leanne and James and their friends must come up with the money necessary for treatment within the next twelve months.
In the meantime, Ava is in the middle of her sixth round of chemotherapy.
She has also had multiple invasive surgeries, and she and her parents spend around three weeks of every month.
‘Life is erratic and unpredictable,’ Leanne explained. ‘When at home, Ava can’t do usual toddler activities like swimming, dancing lessons or playgroups.
‘We take her to outdoor places like the beach and parks and go for walks.’
‘Life is erratic and unpredictable,’ Leanne explained – the family can’t do normal activities indoors so that they go to the beach or to the park (pictured)
‘Ava remains a shining star, a bright beacon of positivity and happiness despite what is thrown at her,’ Leanne said of her daughter (pictured)
While the parents don’t really have much time for themselves personally, as they spend their days working and raising money for Ava’s trip to the US, they said that they will do whatever it takes to help their daughter.
‘We ask for the help of others to help save our little girl and give her the gift that all of us have and want for our own children – the gift of a happy life,’ the parents wrote on their GoFundMe page.
‘This journey has by far been the most difficult that James and I have ever (and probably ever will) face. But Ava remains a shining star, a bright beacon of positivity and happiness despite what is thrown at her.’
To donate to Ava and her family, visit the GoFundMe page, Ava’s Journey, here. You can also follow for updates on Facebook.