You can make children like Ava's wishes come true.

Brave little Ava bolted like an Olympic sprinter when she first saw her new cubby in her backyard.

Ava's story

A life changing diagnosis

She had this little round podgy belly,” says her mum Megan. “You can see it in the photos. We thought it was cute.”

Baby Ava was only 16 months old.

And that gorgeous little belly wasn’t a belly at all. It was a cancerous tumour the size of a small football.

Cancer robbed Ava of many things including her childhood.

We had literally just been told she’s been diagnosed with cancer. She’s got a tumour. We’ve been told it’s Stage 4. It was horrible. It was really, really horrible.

Megan Ava's mum

Children need hope

All the months of treatment meant Ava missed out on all the things a two-year old should be doing. There was no playgroup for Ava and no swimming lessons. She missed lots of family occasions because she was too unwell to attend.

As Megan explained, Ava didn’t get to run around like a usual toddler “obviously when she was having all of her treatment and bits and pieces, and because she was young, she was in a cot or stuck in a bed.”

Megan said “Ava went from a bright and confident little thing to a child who was timid and shy. If someone came up to talk to her, she would cry. And it was horrible.” This was quite a change from the outgoing child she’d been before her treatment.

Watching their bright and bubbly little girl change was devastating to Megan and Shawn.

The impact of a wish

When Ava was asked what she wanted for her wish she didn’t have to think for very long, “I wish I had my own cubbyhouse”.

Ava had a very clear idea of how her cubby house would look, with two slides and decorated with butterflies.

When the day arrived for Ava’s wish to be delivered, her teenage siblings kept Ava away from the house after kinder so the finishing touches could be put on the cubby. When they took her home, they covered her eyes and took her to the garden where Megan and Shawn and the rest of the family were waiting to see Ava’s reaction.

Ava ran over to Megan and said, “Is that mine?” and when her mum told her it was, she ran over and started playing in the cubby straight away.

The horrible memories of the last few years faded away in an instant for everyone.

And we could just see straight away that it was a perfect gift that you guys had given her, because she loved it immediately and she still loves it. And she wants to play in there all the time.

Megan Ava's mum

While Ava’s wish came true, we still need your help

There are over 900 critically ill children who need their wish to come true. Living with a critical illness, they're all on the toughest road imaginable.

But you could help bring joy that lasts a lifetime to children like Ava – by making a donation today.

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Well, the journey of a wish – with all its anticipation, all its delights, all its memories – could begin with a single gift, from you. Please, if you can, donate today.

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