Driven by Love: Avery’s 16th Birthday Tribute (October 19, 2024)

October 19, 2024

Today would have been Avery’s 16th birthday.

The past few months should have been about Avery learning how to drive, dad taking the bullet while mom stayed home and asked ‘how’d that go,’ while Avery, a thrill seeker who did nothing at half speed, rolled her eyes knowing dad earnestly searched for a handle to hold on to.

Instead, this is the extent of her driving: Avery’s Christmas Four-Wheeler 2010

It has been eight years, eight months and three days since Avery’s battle against brain cancer came to an end.  Avery’s fight against DIPG ended just north of 7.5 months from when it started.  She celebrated her 7th birthday nine years ago today, and would never get to celebrate another birthday.

No 10th birthday, ‘no decade birthday.’  No 13th birthday, ‘I’m a teenager birthday.’

And now, no Sweet 16th birthday.  No drivers license, no begging to borrow a car, promising she’ll pick up or take Addison wherever we asked her to. 

None of that was possible because DIPG took her before she could even get halfway to eight years old.

2024 has been a roller coaster year- another year of loss in our family, Avery’s Auntie Leesee succumbing to a short battle with cancer of her own at the age of 40, passing away in February, the same month Avery’s own battle came to an end.  We are confident Avery was right there waiting for her Auntie Leesee in heaven, jumping in to her Auntie’s arms.

It has been a year of transition in the house - Avery’s oldest sister Alex graduated from college while her big brother Cade graduated from high school - and Avery’s classmates were freshman while Cade was a senior, yet another milestone she never got to experience, going to high school with her big brother, who she adored and looked up to.

Instead of Avery and Addison both being at home as big bro is away at college and big sis is graduated, working a full time job, planning a wedding, instead of Avery and Addison jostling to see who go to walk down the aisle win as bridesmaids, we ‘celebrate’ another heavenly birthday for Avery.

The loss never gets easier.  The loss feels more and more impactful the further away from here passing, to be frank.  Life milestones she should be experiencing but would never be able to, a cruel reminder of what we lost, but more importantly, what SHE lost.

No homecoming, no sports, no social outings with friends, no bickering with her sister, no eye rolls at whatever her uncool parents said or did.  None of that.  All because DIPG took that from her.

We say it every year.  We wish we could have an ounce of the bravery and the fight that Avery had.  We wish we could tackle every day we face like she did.  She had every excuse in the world not to take those days on, but she did with more force, focus and determination than was physically possible.

What is our excuse?

So we keep fighting for her.  We keep spreading her story, we keep saying her name.  We keep sharing her legacy. We keep honoring her.  

It has been nearly nine years since she passed away, but we can still see her fight evident every day.  Years later, people will randomly email or message us or pull us aside after hearing about Avery during a podcast or a radio interview or a newscast and tell us how inspiring her story still is.

And that pushes us.

It drives us.

Obviously, she can’t drive, which this birthday would have allowed for.

But we’re driving for her.  We’re more motivated than ever to keep pushing this monster that DIPG is into oblivion.

We’ve coined the next 2.5 months ‘Driven by Love: Avery’s 16th Birthday Tribute’, an end of year campaign to raise more support for the Avery Huffman DIPG Foundation, so we can continue to support some of the most renowned and important scientists, doctors and researchers in the world who are on the front lines of DIPG/DMG treatment and are moving mountains to do so.

In the spring, Addison and Brandon were back at Stanford University, where Avery’s tumor and brain were donated immediately after she died.  Eight years later, the cells they were able to glean from the tumor are STILL benefiting their research. Dr. Michelle Monje and the Monje Lab at Stanford is one of the primary labs the AHDF financially supports, and will continue to support.

Later in the spring, Alex and Brandon were in Seattle where Dr. Nick Vitanza at Seattle Children’s Hospital continues to treat children from around the world and he too is supported by our foundation, and will continue to be supported, treating patients while being right in our backyard.

Football camps, football tournaments, baseball tournaments, golf tournaments, special releases of beer, other sporting events, gear drives, you name it, Avery’s name continues to be shared.

Our drive to honor her will never stop - she never stopped so why would we?

Help us continue to honor her and fight back in her name.  

Help us in our end of year campaign from now until December 31, 2024, in the ‘Driven by Love: Avery’s 16th Birthday Tribute.’

You can directly on our webpage: https://averystrongdipg.org/donate

OR you can donate on these sites:

• VENMO - AHDF Venmo

• PayPal - AHDF PayPal

Or, you can send a check directly to the foundation at:

Avery Huffman DIPG Foundation
1402 Lake Tapps Pkwy SE Ste F104
Box #439
Auburn, WA 98092-8157

Let's continue to tell her story, share her brAvery and help other families fight back.

Happy Sweet 16th Birthday, Aves.

Happy Birthday in Heaven, kiddo.

We miss you.

We love you.

We will never, ever stop fighting for you.

#AveryStrong

Mom, Dad, Alex, Cade and Addison