Support for Avery's Journey
Donation protected
Update (May 2018):
Avery has done amazingly well and has been able to come home. Thank you everyone for your generosity and support in this challenging time we appreciate every one of you so much. Thank you.
Update (April 2018):
Avery has now been admitted into ICU with a dreadful skin infection known as Scalded Skin Syndrome and has lost 86% of her skin. We are once again faced with being split apart as a family. Any help you can give us in this traumatic time would be really appreciated. Thank you.
Read on to find out more about the journey we have been on for the last 4 years, and check out our Facebook page for regular updates at: https://www.facebook.com/averysupport
This is our story and our journey.
It is unfortunately not unusual, but that doesn't stop it being hard.
It is unfortunately not over after almost four years, but that doesn't stop us fighting.
My name is David and my wife Jen and I have 6 beautiful children Ella, Dan, Tom, James, Sienna and Avery and we live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Jen and I both volunteer for a Christian missionary organisation called YWAM training young people from all over the world in their faith and releasing them to change the world wherever God is calling them. It is a joy and a privledge and we love it!
In August 2014 our youngest daughter Avery, who was 11 months old at the time, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). This is a shockingly common form of blood cancer, and this diagnosis turned our lives upside down. Since then our whole family has been on a long journey with big ups and big downs that is still not close to being over.
Following the diagnosis, Avery was put on a protocol of chemotherapy which ended up leading to a bone marrow transplant in April 2015. Due to Avery's young age, throughout this whole period of close to a year, Jen and Avery were almost permanently living in hospital in Brisbane. This was very hard on our family, but we never gave up on each other, and I would visit them with the rest of the kids every weekend whilst trying to keep as much semblance of normality for the other kids whilst at home during the week.
However soon after getting the amazing news of an all clear, following this transplant, the leukaemia returned once again. Therefore in August 2015, the protocol was changed to a less invasive treatment plan and Avery and Jen were able to live back at home with only fortnightly appointments in Brisbane.
Unfortunately this new protocol, also ultimately failed and Avery suffered a total relapse in October 2016. Following which, once again, Avery was readmitted to the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in Brisbane this time for another period of 7 months. This latest round of treatment involved her being one of the first children in Australia to be given a new experimental drug, the goal of which was to get her to a position where she was able to have a second bone marrow transplant. This drug had varying levels of success, but ultimately following further additional chemotherapy, and for the first time radiotherapy, Avery was successful in getting to a place where she was able to have a second bone marrow transplant.
This transplant occurred in March 2017 and was to our huge relief a great success, with once again tests showing her to be clear from all signs of cancer cells!!! This amazing news continued with other clear results throughout 2017. Definitely cause for continued celebration!!! However in 85% of cases the cancer returns within the first 12 months following transplant and unfortunately in Jan 2018 this did happen and we once again had a test that showed residual amounts in her bone marrow. Amazingly though once again she fought off the sickness and by the next test she was once again totally cancer free!!! We are simply over the moon and glad that life can begin to get back to normal once again. Well as normal as life can be with 6 active kids!!!
Throughout this journey we have been very blessed to have received financial support from many different people - from friends, family and also amazingly complete strangers too. Thank you to everyone that has already given to us, or donated items for sale, or even had their hair shaved to raise money! This support, in all forms it has come, has been absolutely vital to us staying strong and helped reduce some of the stress that is caused by having a child with cancer and a family separated for such long periods of time. Thank you.
However as you can see our journey is not over and the financial challenges remain so I am asking once again if you are able to help us out. Whether you have only recently found out about our story, or whether you have been with us from the beginning we would so appreciate your help. Whether this would be the first time, or you have given before, we would so appreciate your help. Every dollar counts.
If you are able to donate, obviously you can give through this GoFundMe page, however we do also have other options. As in addition to this page you can make a direct bank deposit (please email for bank details), or
you can donate through PayPal. If you wish to use PayPal please use the following PayPal address: [email redacted], or go to the following link https://www.paypal.me/supportavery.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support - it means the world to us.
If you want to find out more, please like our page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/averysupport
and that way you will be able to keep up to date on a daily basis with progress.
Finally we believe in the power of prayer so we would ask you whether you can donate or not that you stand with us in prayer to see Avery restored to total health and able to live a long and full life.
Thank you.
Avery has done amazingly well and has been able to come home. Thank you everyone for your generosity and support in this challenging time we appreciate every one of you so much. Thank you.
Update (April 2018):
Avery has now been admitted into ICU with a dreadful skin infection known as Scalded Skin Syndrome and has lost 86% of her skin. We are once again faced with being split apart as a family. Any help you can give us in this traumatic time would be really appreciated. Thank you.
Read on to find out more about the journey we have been on for the last 4 years, and check out our Facebook page for regular updates at: https://www.facebook.com/averysupport
This is our story and our journey.
It is unfortunately not unusual, but that doesn't stop it being hard.
It is unfortunately not over after almost four years, but that doesn't stop us fighting.
My name is David and my wife Jen and I have 6 beautiful children Ella, Dan, Tom, James, Sienna and Avery and we live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Jen and I both volunteer for a Christian missionary organisation called YWAM training young people from all over the world in their faith and releasing them to change the world wherever God is calling them. It is a joy and a privledge and we love it!
In August 2014 our youngest daughter Avery, who was 11 months old at the time, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). This is a shockingly common form of blood cancer, and this diagnosis turned our lives upside down. Since then our whole family has been on a long journey with big ups and big downs that is still not close to being over.
Following the diagnosis, Avery was put on a protocol of chemotherapy which ended up leading to a bone marrow transplant in April 2015. Due to Avery's young age, throughout this whole period of close to a year, Jen and Avery were almost permanently living in hospital in Brisbane. This was very hard on our family, but we never gave up on each other, and I would visit them with the rest of the kids every weekend whilst trying to keep as much semblance of normality for the other kids whilst at home during the week.
However soon after getting the amazing news of an all clear, following this transplant, the leukaemia returned once again. Therefore in August 2015, the protocol was changed to a less invasive treatment plan and Avery and Jen were able to live back at home with only fortnightly appointments in Brisbane.
Unfortunately this new protocol, also ultimately failed and Avery suffered a total relapse in October 2016. Following which, once again, Avery was readmitted to the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in Brisbane this time for another period of 7 months. This latest round of treatment involved her being one of the first children in Australia to be given a new experimental drug, the goal of which was to get her to a position where she was able to have a second bone marrow transplant. This drug had varying levels of success, but ultimately following further additional chemotherapy, and for the first time radiotherapy, Avery was successful in getting to a place where she was able to have a second bone marrow transplant.
This transplant occurred in March 2017 and was to our huge relief a great success, with once again tests showing her to be clear from all signs of cancer cells!!! This amazing news continued with other clear results throughout 2017. Definitely cause for continued celebration!!! However in 85% of cases the cancer returns within the first 12 months following transplant and unfortunately in Jan 2018 this did happen and we once again had a test that showed residual amounts in her bone marrow. Amazingly though once again she fought off the sickness and by the next test she was once again totally cancer free!!! We are simply over the moon and glad that life can begin to get back to normal once again. Well as normal as life can be with 6 active kids!!!
Throughout this journey we have been very blessed to have received financial support from many different people - from friends, family and also amazingly complete strangers too. Thank you to everyone that has already given to us, or donated items for sale, or even had their hair shaved to raise money! This support, in all forms it has come, has been absolutely vital to us staying strong and helped reduce some of the stress that is caused by having a child with cancer and a family separated for such long periods of time. Thank you.
However as you can see our journey is not over and the financial challenges remain so I am asking once again if you are able to help us out. Whether you have only recently found out about our story, or whether you have been with us from the beginning we would so appreciate your help. Whether this would be the first time, or you have given before, we would so appreciate your help. Every dollar counts.
If you are able to donate, obviously you can give through this GoFundMe page, however we do also have other options. As in addition to this page you can make a direct bank deposit (please email for bank details), or
you can donate through PayPal. If you wish to use PayPal please use the following PayPal address: [email redacted], or go to the following link https://www.paypal.me/supportavery.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support - it means the world to us.
If you want to find out more, please like our page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/averysupport
and that way you will be able to keep up to date on a daily basis with progress.
Finally we believe in the power of prayer so we would ask you whether you can donate or not that you stand with us in prayer to see Avery restored to total health and able to live a long and full life.
Thank you.
Organizer
David Beal
Organizer
Kunda Park QLD
