Ava is the
daughter of Christopher and Rachel Goddard, granddaughter of Gayle
(Collett) Wyrick and Scott Goddard, and great-granddaughter of Don and
Faye Collett.
At three (3)
days old, Ava was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening genetic
disorder called
Urea Cycle Disorder.
There is no cure for this disorder. Ava has a missing liver enzyme
which makes it impossible to get rid of the toxins in her body. This
in turn, causes a deadly buildup of ammonia in her blood which travels
to her brain. Ava
is ok when she is not sick but a simple cold can send her to the ER
for treatment. This condition can cause irreversible brain damage,
coma, and death. Ava will require a liver transplant in the near
future but first she has to conquer a new battle: cancer.
In September
2015, Ava had a kidney removed which contained a cancerous tumor
called
Wilm's tumor.
Ava was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer and will be undergoing
chemotherapy very soon.
With Ava's very severe
genetic disorder, this makes treating the cancer with chemotherapy
very difficult and complicated. The chemotherapy drugs have a history
of being very hard on the liver which is another complication for
sweet Ava.
Please keep Ava
and her family in your prayers.
If you would
like to make a monetary donation toward Ava's health care and
expenses, you may send a check to the church, and it will be passed on
to Chris and Rachel. Or you may go to
Ava's Go Fund Me
page to make a donation.