'She wanted to tell us she loved us one last time before she passed'

“The thing I miss the most is her companionship, and her beautiful company and presence."

Joel Erickson

3 min read

April 4, 2024 - 10:57AM

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By the end of her harrowing battle with brain cancer, 12-year-old Ava couldn’t speak.

Instead, she would squeeze her parents’ hands twice to tell them she loved them, even as the young Adelaide girl was struggling against an “unrelenting and aggressive” brain tumour.

The Adelaide Advertiser reports Ava was determined to keep telling her family she loved them right up to the moment she lost her battle on March 20.

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On the day she passed away, Ava used an alphabet board to ask her parents where her siblings were.

After 10 minutes, the last thing she spelt out was: “How long?”

'She had such beautiful friends who really cared for her"

When her older siblings Charlie, Harry and Helena arrived home, Ava held each of their hands and squeezed them twice before passing away.

“You could tell she was so relieved that they were there and she knew that they were there,” Ava’s mum Christian told The Advertiser.

“We’re still getting messages (on her phone) saying ‘Ava, I’ll keep sending you messages’ and ‘we miss you so much’.

“She had such beautiful friends that really cared so much for her.”

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The Advertiser reports Ava was only diagnosed with a brain tumour in October last year after recovering from Covid-19.

She told her parents she was still feeling tired even after testing negative for the virus.

“I wasn’t 100 per cent sure if it was long Covid or if she had glandular fever or something,” Christina said.

Ava’s family say their “little girl” still receives messages from her school friends on her phone as they try to cope with their grief over her death. Picture: Adelaide Advertiser

"That was the most devastating moment of our lives"

When Ava returned to school for term four, her teacher noticed her handwriting was odd.

Ava was taken to hospital where scans showed she had been living with a brain tumour.

“That was probably the most devastating moment of our lives,” Ava’s dad Darren told The Advertiser.

Ava initially had a positive response to radiotherapy, and she was well enough to return for her last week of school and her year six graduation at the end of 2023.

Her determined spirit allowed her to start the 2024 school year and attend Year 7 camp with her peers.

"I miss her companionship, and her beautiful company"

Ava’s family spent her last few months creating as many memories as possible.

The Advertiser reports they visited Hamilton Island, and had a big family Christmas in Streaky Bay.

In the wake of her untimely passing, Ava’s parents are remembering their youngest daughter as a “passionate” young lady who would always make sure all of her peers were included.

“She was the social justice leader in year six and she did a lot of fundraising,” Christina told The Advertiser.

“She was always thinking of others that weren’t as fortunate as her.

“The thing I miss the most is her companionship, and her beautiful company and presence.”

"She could be quite cheeky and fun"

Ava’s dad remembered a story from just weeks before his daughter’s passing that he said summed her up.

“When I picked her up from school one day I asked her about her day, and she said there was a new year seven girl who was eating lunch on her own, so she asked her if she wanted to join her friend group to have lunch,” he told The Advertiser.

“That’s what she was like, she was just kind.

“She was quite conscientious, diligent, a hard worker, and she cared a lot, but she could be quite cheeky and quite fun as well.”