Ava's Story

This is Ava and she turns 3 on the 22nd. Ava was just 14 months old when she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma—a rare form of childhood eye cancer that affects approximately 40 children each year in the UK.

Sadly, Ava’s cancer was 22mm which filled her whole eye ball, this meant her cancer was too advanced to treat, and her eye had to be removed in order to save her life.
Ava’s symptoms worsened due when she contracted hand foot and mouth. Ava had a slight lazy eye, no red eye reflux, a white glow only in some photos and later no her eye had increased in size due to the growing tumour and her iris had darken.

Ava’s journey after cancer has been challenging. She has experienced multiple complications and in June had another surgery to repair a hole in her eye socket as her implant was exposed. Thankfully the NHS were able to use a donors white of the eye as a graft to place on top of her hole. Ava had surgery again on the 12 of August to take a moulding of her socket and to review the graft. Her socket is looking ok however healing very slowing due to the amount of inflammation in the tissue surrounding the graft. Plan going forward is a month of steroid drops and review it then.
Additionally, Ava is dealing with post-traumatic stress, which has significantly impacted her sleep but luckily we have an amazing play therapist who is trying to help her work through it.

Despite everything she has faced, Ava is an incredible warrior. She navigates life with one eye and continues to meet each day with courage and determination. While she sometimes struggles with depth perception, balance and occasionally walking in to object, she never lets these difficulties hold her back.

Ava lights up every room she enters with her big personality and slightly crazy spirit.

We are so thankful to the Ben Saunders Foundation for this much needed break away