Eight years have passed since our family’s world, especially Avery’s, was irrevocably changed. Today marks the anniversary of a day etched in our memories with profound sorrow.
It was eight years ago when we found ourselves in a hastily prepared room at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma. There, we received four letters that would come to represent the most devastating moment in our lives up to that point.
The diagnosis was life-altering, particularly for Avery. Just moments before, she had been a typical vibrant six-year-old. A child life specialist had even cheerfully asked if she wanted a wagon ride for a hospital tour.
We were still in the dark about the exact nature of our precocious 6-year-old’s condition, only knowing about a troubling inverted eye. An ophthalmologist had ordered an MRI, but the thought of a death sentence being delivered never crossed our minds.
The ophthalmologist’s increasingly concerned demeanor after reviewing the MRI should have been a warning. He urged us to rush to Mary Bridge, explaining that Avery, who had just finished kindergarten weeks earlier, had a tumor. Our minds raced, overwhelmed and disoriented.
While Avery was out of the room, an oncologist and a social worker delivered the unimaginable news. No parent is ever prepared to hear that their child has an inoperable tumor, an incurable form of cancer. We were told there was nothing to do but create a ‘lifetime of memories,’ as the clock was ticking against us.
DIPG. Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.
For seven months and 16 days, Avery fought this aggressive tumor with incredible bravery and spirit. But on February 16, 2016, her little body, exhausted from the battle, could no longer fight, succumbing to brain cancer.
From October 19, 2008, until her last breath on February 16, 2016, Avery graced our lives for 2,677 days.
Yet, June 30, 2015, remains the day that shakes us to our core, even now.
The day everything changed with Avery’s diagnosis.
Avery has now been gone longer than she was with us. Each new day pushes her further away from our physical presence.
Instead of being a 14-year-old navigating middle school and anticipating high school, Avery never even finished first grade before cancer ultimately betrayed her.
Instead of sharing everyday moments with her brother and sisters – playing, arguing, and simply being together – we are left with memories, photos, and our enduring love.
But we also inherited her fighting spirit.
She fought a battle no child should ever face, and she faced it with unparalleled strength.
We fight a battle no parent should ever have to, because she showed us how.
The foundation established in her name has achieved an incredible milestone, raising over $1 million for critical research, studies, hospitals, and doctors. We are resolutely committed to finding a cure for DIPG, so that no other family will face the same devastating diagnosis without hope and optimism. In 2023, this fight is more crucial than ever.
Parents are meant to be role models for their children.
However, Avery was the ultimate example for us – teaching us how to live life to the fullest, to love deeply, to stand up for our beliefs, and to fight relentlessly even when the odds seem insurmountable.
Because of her unwavering fight, her impactful life, and our boundless love for her, we fight for her. We will never let a day pass without thinking of her, saying her name, and sharing her powerful story.
She deserves nothing less.
She didn’t deserve cancer, she didn’t deserve to have her young life stolen.
But she deserves our unwavering commitment to fighting back in her honor.
So we fight. And we will continue to fight.
For her. For all children.
Join us in this fight: Join the Fight- Donate to the Avery Huffman DIPG Foundation
#AveryStrong
