Fiery fighter

By EMMA SUN
FOR a girl who has defied all odds and been to hell and back, Mount Evelyn’s Avelynn Wood is full of life and oozes positive energy.
The 12-year-old has been diagnosed with congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, portal hypertension, cirrhosis of the liver, protein losing enteropathy, pancytopenia and has also had a stroke.
But the little ray of sunshine, aptly nicknamed ‘Aveago’ by her friends for always having a go, does not let it stop her.
Instead, she has proven doctors wrong time after time and survived many operations where doctors said the odds were stacked against her.
Her red hair is as fiery as her will to live, which seems to be symbolic, since nobody else in the family has red hair.
Mum Michelle calls her their little miracle.
“Doctors actually can’t believe she’s still here, they can’t explain it to me,” she said.
“They joke and say it’s because of her red hair but some kids just defy the odds.
“She was recently hospitalised for some gastro problems, which she was really sick with, but she’s manage to pick herself back up yet again and carry on – she’s a little fighter all right.”
Ms Wood said she was 19 months pregnant with Avelynn when doctors diagnosed her with congenital heart disease.
“We were told she wouldn’t be here past the age of two and I just couldn’t believe it,” she said.
“I was really stressed and I thought my world had caved in.
“I had two healthy beautiful daughters and I wasn’t prepared for any bad news – I thought I’d done something wrong and I felt really guilty.
“Ever since we were told that we wanted to live life and make the most of it but she turned two and now she’s turned 12 and she keeps going.”
Avelynn’s determination to live prompted Ms Wood to write a book about her little girl’s journey.
“She’s just amazing and I really wanted to write about her “go get ‘em” attitude,” she said.
“We don’t’ feel sorry for ourselves so we haven’t let her feel sorry for herself because what’s the point?
“People tend to feel sorry for us but we consider it a blessing because we live our lives better – it could always be worse.
“We just want more people to think like Avelynn does because she’s so inspiring.”
While her illnesses may make Avelynn sound fragile, her personality is the exact opposite.
Ms Wood said the feisty girl has a very cheeky personality and an unbelievable sense of humour.
But an important part of raising Avelynn for the family was to treat her like a normal child whenever possible.
“The biggest things we do for her is not wrap her up in cotton wool – we try to give her opportunities our other kids are given like swimming and bike riding because underneath it all, she’s still a kid,” she said.
“I think that’s really important because society isn’t going to treat her any different.”
Despite the tough times and the close calls, Ms Wood said the family is just glad that Avelynn is with them and makes the most of the time they spend together.
“She’s here for a reason, I believe. You can’t go through all that and not be here for a reason.”
Ms Wood’s book, titled My Little Red Head, is available via her website www.michellewood.com.au or via the Mount Evelyn Post Office.
From each book sold, $5 will be donated to Heart Kids.