Wishes do come true: After battling leukemia, Mitchell 3-year-old gets shopping spree
Ava Leatherman received the royal treatment Saturday from strangers who went the extra mile to make her day special.
The shopping carts were decorated in colorful streamers and unicorns and the table at Golden Corral where she sat with her mom and dad was reserved just for her. There was even a limousine to pick her up for her big day.
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All of it was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For the past two years, Ava has been in and out of treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. Now in remission, the 3-year-old from Mitchell was granted her wish to have lunch at Golden Corral and then go shopping at Walmart in Bedford and Paoli.
Her parents Kendra Mundy and Tony Leatherman accompanied her on the wish.
To look at Ava today, you'd never know what the 3-year-old has been through in her young life. A face that smiles easily, little feet that are seldom still, she is a happy child. But for the past two years, it has been months of treatments and lengthy hospital stays.
Mundy said Ava was just 1 when she was diagnosed with AML. It was two days after her first birthday when Mundy and Leatherman learned that a blood draw showed some concerning abnormalities. Doctors at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in Indianapolis gave them the diagnosis. Over the next eight months, she received several rounds of chemotherapy treatment; Mundy stayed at the hospital with her.
Mundy and Leatherman are parents to six children. Leatherman stayed in Mitchell with Ava's two brothers and three sisters during Ava's hospitalization.
Ava was at home for about one year when she became sick again and the family learned her leukemia was back.
"That was probably the lowest point in our lives," said Mundy.
Stem cell transplant
Doctors told the family a stem cell transplant would give Ava her best chance. Older brother Jathan, 12, was a match and the transplant took place June 2, 2021 at Riley Children's Hospital.
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Following the transplant, Ava experienced complications that affected her kidneys and liver. She was placed on dialysis and spent two weeks in ICU.
"It was really rough. To be honest, we didn't know what to do," Mundy said. "We had a lot of family and friends come in and help. When they told us her leukemia was back, my heart dropped to my toes. It's the scariest moment we've ever had to face in our lifetime. We almost lost her."
Despite the challenges, Mundy said Ava would wake up every day with a smile. Seeing Ava smile, she said, gave her strength and faith that better days were ahead.
In the months since the transplant, Ava has regained strength and good health. Her health is stable. During a recent checkup at Riley, doctors confirmed the stem cell transplant is still working.
Like any preschooler, she loves Peppa Pig and Bluey.
"She's a playful, loving girl. She's on her feet nonstop," said her mom. "She loves being home with her brothers and sisters."
Lindsey Terrell of Mitchell is a volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana and coordinated Saturday's wish for Ava.
She became a volunteer in 2019 following the death of her son Andrew, who had leukemia.
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"I do this in memory of him," Terrell said.
Terrell said she helps plan about four to eight wishes per year working with the Make-A-Wish staff.
Make-A-Wish will provide the funds for the shopping trip; Terrell said the businesses often will get involved to make the day special for the child. Walmart employees decorated a cart for Ava.
Mundy said Ava picked her wish because she loves the chocolate fountain at Golden Corral. At Walmart, she will be looking for a swing set, trampoline, swimming pool and a Power Wheels ice-cream truck.
"She has been through more than anyone I've ever known. Any kid deserves anything in the world. After all she's been through, she deserves the most fun she can have on this day," Mundy said. "We're forever thankful for everything people have done to help us."
Contact Times-Mail Staff Writer Carol Johnson at cjohnson@tmnews.com or 812-277-7252.