Ava ❤️

A message from Ava’s mum and dad, Hannah and Fredrik -

We are raising money so that our daughter Ava can go to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and receive the bivalent vaccine. Ava has high-risk neuroblastoma and is currently undergoing treatment at Drottning Silvia's Children's Hospital in Gothenburg Sweden. Unfortunately, there is a very high risk that the cancer will relapse after treatment has ended, and the chance of survival then drops very drastically to only about 10%. The vaccine, which is currently being developed in New York, helps Ava's own body fight the cancer cells and stop them from growing. It is given after her treatment in Sweden is completed and is only available in New York and must be paid for by ourselves. The price for our child's life is SEK 3.7 million. It is an enormous sum, but this gives Ava an opportunity to live a long and happy life. 

About Ava: 

Ava is a 5 year old firecracker. She is full of cheerful energy and wants to play with friends when she is feeling well. She likes color and shape and loves painting and tinkering. When Ava grows up, she wants to be a hairdresser. It is a huge sadness that she has lost her own hair, but luckily she gets to fix both her little sister's and mother's hair while waiting for hers to grow out. Unicorns, Barbie dolls, dollhouses, dressing up and playing dress-up are her absolute favorite things to play with. Ava herself says that her favorite thing to do is go swimming, and as soon as her central venous catheter is removed, she will swim every day! Music and dancing are also part of Ava's everyday life and she is good at bringing the whole family together for a disco in the living room. Despite her illness, Ava fights to maintain her joys in everyday life. She is a superhero and the strongest little girl we have ever met! 

Ava’s story: 

In January 2022, Ava started having fever episodes that lasted a long time and with high fever spikes . She also had leg pain and sweated incredibly much at night. On repeated occasions, we sought care at the health center, the emergency room and the children's emergency room. Every time we were told to go home, let Ava rest and give her paracetamol. In March, Ava developed a high fever that lasted for two weeks. We then sought care at the nearest hospital again. They finally took a blood test which showed that Ava's blood levels were low. We were asked to go to the children's intensive care unit the next day. There, further samples were taken which showed that Ava had an iron deficiency. We were prescribed iron drops and were referred to child and adolescent medicine (BUM) in Gothenburg. After two weeks, we still hadn't heard back from BUM and Ava had run a fever again. We called and were told that no referral had been received. Finally we got an appointment and many weeks of sampling began. In April, we were referred to the Children's rheumatology and immunology clinic at Östra, since it was suspected that Ava had a rheumatological disease. Several more weeks of tests, missed referrals and uncertainty awaited there. Ava was still unwell and at Easter she started complaining of a stomach ache and started vomiting. We called our doctor at the Children's rheumatology and immunology clinic and said that now the ultrasound that was supposed to be done three weeks ago must be done. On the 29th of April, an ultrasound was performed and a tumor was discovered that was 9x11x13 cm in size. The world fell apart. 

Ava's treatment: 

On 13th of May Ava started her treatment. A treatment that will last between 1-2 years. She has undergone the first part called rapid cojec. Chemotherapy for two days every ten days for eighty days. She has lost her hair, lost weight, felt constantly nauseous, had a tube inserted into her stomach to be able to receive food, had a central venous catheter inserted in her chest, had a stem cell harvest and undergone countless X-rays and CT scans. She has had problems with her kidneys, has lost her energy and is constantly catching colds as her immune system is completely down. Surgery, high-dose cytostatics, radiation and immunotherapy await. And after all this, the risk is still high that the cancer will return. The vaccine available in New York gives her a real chance of survival. 

What the money will be used for: 

We need to collect a total of SEK 3.7 million. This money will go towards the treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering, plane tickets for Ava and one parent, and accommodation*. Healthcare costs in the US are sky high and we don't have a chance to do this for Ava without help. So please, donate, share the fundraiser with everyone you know, talk to your bosses and companies, start your own fundraisers for Ava's benefit and help us save our girl's life! 

 *If for some reason the treatment would not be relevant or if we do not collect enough money and therefore cannot go, then all money collected will go directly to the Children's Cancer Foundation in Sweden.