Vinings Family Participates in Children's 15th Annual Care-a-Thon

The annual WSB Care-a-Thon benefitting the Aflac Cancer Center is coming up, and the Vinings community has a patient and family that will be featured on-air. The Care-a-Thon will feature popular on-air personalities, special guests and inspiring interviews with patients, all encouraging listeners to make donations. The event will broadcast for 37 hours, from 5 a.m. on July 20 until 6 p.m. on July 21, and will broadcast on 95.5 FM and AM 750.

Ava, a former cancer patient and now survivor, will be participating in the Care-a-Thon. After noticing that 2-year-old Ava was beginning to look very pale, parents Tom and Amanda decided to take her to the doctor just to be careful. It was during that visit on July 27, 2007 at 2 years and 3 months old that Ava was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). After being rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, they were quickly given the news that no parent wants to hear. Her treatment would consist of 27 months of chemotherapy and they would face an intense first month with two long stretches on intense steroids, medications and radiation.

Both parents agree that after many hospitals stays and weekly visits to Aflac, Children’s has since become a refuge and they count the nurses and doctors amongst the best of friends. Today, Ava is a happy, active 10 year old and is cancer free.