Ava is not your average 3-year-old. She’s a firecracker — fearless, full of life, and always ready to take on the world. She’s the kind of little girl who runs faster than you can catch her, climbs higher than you’d ever expect, and has a spirit too big to be held down. But now, Ava is facing a battle that no child should ever have to fight. It all began with what seemed like a stomach bug. Ava started vomiting, became extremely tired, and stopped eating. For weeks, we were told by doctors that it was “normal toddler behavior” and it would pass. But as parents, we knew something wasn’t right. After pushing for more answers, a gastroenterologist finally ordered a CT scan. That scan changed our lives forever. They found a tumor pressing on Ava’s brain, near the posterior fossa — a place where tumors can dangerously impact balance, coordination, and vital functions. Within hours, Ava was rushed into a 9-hour emergency brain surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. A few days later, we were given the heartbreaking news: Ava had Ependymoma, Stage II, a rare and aggressive type of brain cancer that only accounts for about 8-10% of childhood brain tumors. Most Ependymomas occur near the brainstem, but Ava’s tumor location presents unique challenges. She now faces months of proton radiation therapy, which we travel for daily between Long Island and the Manhattan Proton Center. The surgery has left Ava struggling with her balance, coordination, and speech. She will need ongoing physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy to regain these vital skills. All the while, we are also caring for her two older brothers, ages 5 and 10, who have had to watch their baby sister endure pain and exhaustion for months. Our family lives in Queens, NY, and while our extended family is two hours away upstate, they are unable to leave their lives to be with us full-time. We are doing everything we can as parents, but this fight has overwhelmed us emotionally and financially. We are asking for your support to help us: • Cover transportation and lodging expenses for Ava’s ongoing treatments. • Pay our overdue rent and utilities to keep a stable and safe home where Ava can recover. • Manage groceries, childcare, and household bills to care for our entire family during this crisis. • Maintain and repair our only family vehicle, which is essential for getting Ava to her life-saving treatments. • Support therapy costs not fully covered by insurance, helping Ava regain her speech, mobility, and independence. We are a family of fighters. Ava is the bravest of us all. She’s a little girl who refuses to let cancer steal her joy. But we need help to give her the environment, the care, and the resources she needs to heal. We are humbly asking for resources to help our family get through this battle — to give Ava the best chance at recovery, to provide stability for our children, and to keep our family together during this difficult time. Any donation, no matter how small, will make a difference. And if you can’t give, sharing Ava’s story is just as important to help us reach more people who can. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing with Ava and our family as we take on this fight together.