Meet Ava ~ An Extended Hospital Stay Grant Recipient

“Princess Ava” as her parents call her spent over 270 days in the hospital when she was only 4 years old. In November, 2022, due to the progression of cystic fibrosis, she received a bilateral lung transplant and continues to improve every day. Ava’s mother Laura has not been able to return to work and had exhausted all of her resources before finding Claire’s Place Foundation’s Extended Hospital Stay Grant Program.

In 2023 we were thrilled to give them a helping hand by covering all of their monthly expenses twice so that Ava could have her mommy by her side as she regained her strength. Living in the hospital for so long takes a huge toll on a family and every bit of assistance is so appreciated. Thank you to our amazing donors who make this program possible. Sending all of our love and prayers to Ava as she begins her new life outside of the hospital, ready to tackle the world! Oh and Happy 5th Birthday Ava!

How, specifically, has Claire’s Place Foundation helped you and your family?

Claire’s Place has been so very helpful with keeping our monthly bills up to date while I stay with my 4 year old daughter during her hospital stay. Ava has been in the hospital for over 270 days and we do not currently have a discharge date. I have not been able to work since she became so ill and thank goodness for this program. They helped keep us up to date with our mortgage and other expenses so that we could keep a roof over our heads.

How important do you feel this program is for the CF community?

I had no idea how large this community was until we were faces with Ava’s hospitalization. This program is amazing! CF is more common than people realize and more resources are needed for certain situations like extended hospital stays.