Sherwood Park hockey tournament raises more than $340,000 for Neurosurgery Kids Fund
Ava Hadfield is learning to ride a bike. She likes to play with Barbies and listen to Taylor Swift's music. She's looking forward to summer camp for the first time next month.
None of this is surprising given that she's a seven-year-old girl, but that she's actually getting the chance to do any of it is a pretty big deal.
Ava was diagnosed with a tumour deep in her brain stem when she was just three years old. She's undergone three brain surgeries, 46 weeks of chemotherapy and 31 rounds of radiation.
Over the past four years, there have been extended periods of time where Ava relied on a ventilator to breathe and a feeding tube to eat.
For now, her tumour is stable.
On Saturday, Ava was in Sherwood Park at centre ice for the fifth annual DirtyBirds Charity Hockey Tournament, which raises money for the Neurosurgery Kids Fund at the Stollery Children's Hospital.
During the opening ceremonies, Ava's father, Jason Hadfield, spoke about her resiliency.
"It felt really magical," said Ava, all smiles and perched cross-legged in her pink-trimmed wheelchair as she fist-bumped with the hockey players. "It just made me feel happy."
Ava's mother, Mandy Hadfield, said the family would not be where they are today, watching Ava embrace her young life, without the Neurosurgery Kids Fund.
"We just want to enjoy this time while she's healthy and every day, just take it in," Mandy said Saturday.
The tournament has raised more than $340,000 for the Neurosurgery Kids Fund in its five years.
Players have become like family
Mandy said Ava's attitude inspires her every day.
"She's very strong. She just takes everything in stride," Mandy said. "You just got to keep going. Life is tough. You have good days and bad days."
Melinda Elgot has been volunteering at the DirtyBirds tournament since its inception. During the inaugural event, her daughter Naomi was by her side.
Naomi, like Ava, was diagnosed with a brain tumour at a young age. Naomi underwent three brain surgeries, two months of daily chemotherapy and 66 radiation treatments.
"Eventually, we just realized that we weren't gong to beat the beast so we went into palliative care and we got 10 beautiful months with her medication-free," Elgot said.
"Now, a lot of the guys who participate have actually met a lot of the kids and are a lot more personally invested in fundraising, in doing this for the kids.
"It's a little bit about hockey and a lot about changing lives."
roberta.bell@cbc.ca
@roberta__bell
