If you’ve seen yellow ribbons popping up around the Los Alamitos area, you may have also discovered that those yellow ribbons are signifying that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
If you’ve seen yellow ribbons popping up around the Los Alamitos area, you may have also discovered that those yellow ribbons are signifying that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
Like its counterparts that include pink, purple and red, the yellow ribbon hopes to raise awareness, support and research for those who are fighting childhood cancers. What you may not know is that the ribbons that now dot Los Alamitos were spurred by the efforts of Rossmoor Elementary School 5th grader, Ava Rich, who was honored by the Los Alamitos City Council at its recent meeting.
Ava is trying to raise awareness, while fighting for her life at the same time. On March 22, 2013, the day before her 9th birthday, Ava was diagnosed with Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. The diagnosis forced Ava to be home schooled, taking her away from her third and fourth grade classrooms. It was difficult for the little girl, who loved school, though her teachers have worked hard to keep her in the fold.
“I am grateful for her teachers, because they make her feel special, and she is,” Ava’s mother Gina said.
Ava missed the remainder of her third grade year, and most of her fourth, though she was able to attend fourth grade classes briefly in February of 2014. But her treatments wouldn’t allow her to stay.
“She was still home schooled too due to her treatment and her blood counts would drop so low we had to take her off all her medication and keep her home,” Gina said.
When school started this year, Ava was able to be there for the first day and even made it to school for a week straight. Gina said it was a huge step for Ava and she could tell that she was happy to be back. In August, when they went shopping for school supplies, Ava noticed that there weren’t many ribbons for childhood cancer awareness, like the ones that are prevalent for other causes. Gina didn’t have an answer for her, so Ava decided to email city officials and inquire about getting them up around Los Alamitos.
Before Gina could offer to help, Ava had looked up the email addresses and sent off her inquiry. Ava then set about making her idea happen and before Gina knew it, their house was full of ribbons, posters, stickers and brochures. Gina had put in a follow-up call to city officials and got a quick response from Los Alamitos Mayor Gerri Graham-Mejia. She also got calls from Mayor Pro Tem Richard Murphy, Councilman Warren Kusumoto and City Manager Brett Plumlee and got the okay to put up ribbons around the city.
They had begun putting them up in local businesses and then had a large group help them put up ribbons at the school. Mejia and her husband, Javier, were among the community members who spent a recent Saturday tying ribbons around the school. Gina said the day meant a lot to her and Ava, as well as Ava’s older siblings, Tyler and Paige.
Loyd Waters also stopped by. Loyd is the father of Cody Waters, a Garden Grove boy who died of cancer in 2009, at the age of 10. Loyd had visited Ava shortly after her diagnosis and gave her an iPad, which she brings to every hospital visit. Loyd continues to run the Cody Waters Foundation, to support kids who are battling cancer.
“The support and love that we all felt that day was very overwhelming,” Gina said.
But Ava is still undergoing treatment and days like the ribbon event take a toll on her. She undergoes monthly IV Chemotherapy treatments and takes daily chemo and other medications. She was honored for her efforts at the Sept. 15 council meeting and Gina was surprised she was able muster the strength to attend as she had undergone her monthly treatment at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles just a few days prior.
“I am so very proud of my daughter, this has not been an easy task that she accomplished while going through cancer treatment,” Gina said.
Ava is scheduled to continue treatment until July of 2015. And she plans to continue to push for more awareness through September and beyond. She said she has learned that Childhood Cancer is one of the least funded of cancer researches.
“The reason I want to raise awareness is because the more awareness, the more people will know about childhood cancer and want to donate,” Ava said.
On Thursday and Friday, Ava’s Girl Scout Troop will hold a lemonade/bake sale at Rossmoor Elementary School, with the proceeds going to help children fighting cancer.
“The support and love that our family has been given from friends, family, and Ava's school has been overwhelming,” Gina said.
Gina is encouraging people to look up the Cody Waters Foundation, which helps children like Ava.
