Although Ava Zimmerman was only alive for a short time, her courage touched the lives of her family and her community. On July 6th, Ava’s family and their friends will come together at the Niles Inn from 2pm until 7pm to remember and honor the little girl who only lived 93 days.
September 29, 2007 was one of the happiest days in Jamie Zimmerman’s life. Jamie and her husband, Jamie, and son Brayden welcomed Ava into their family. But what seemed to be one of the happiest days soon turned the Zimmerman family upside down.
The nurses found what they believed to be a heart murmur and recommended that Ava be taken to the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital, about a three drive away. At just two days old, Ava had her first surgery to attempt to correct her Interrupted Aortic Arch and Truncus Arteriosis. She came out surgery and seemed to be doing better until about her seventh week when doctors discovered that Ava’s truncal valve which replaced her aortic valve was leaking and she needed to have another operation.
“After Ava was born and we found out she had heart defects, our world came crumbling down. It is a parent’s worst nightmare and we naively believed that something like this would never happen to us. Now we know how rough life can be and that you never know what tragedy life might bring your way,” said Ava’s mother, Jamie.
This operation presented some unexpected complications and Ava endured a twelve hour operation which left her too weak and she was placed on an ECMO machine, a form of life support.
“At this point we were still hopeful that she had a chance to survive as the staff believed that if her heart was given a rest on ECMO, then maybe it would recuperate,” said Jamie.
Instead, Ava developed sepsis and antibiotic treatments to cure it were unsuccessful.
“On January 2, 2008, we made a futile attempt to allow Ava’s heart to function on its own as we trialed her off ECMO. We knew the chances of this working were slim and we soon had to say our goodbyes to our precious baby girl. I held her in my arms as they took her off life support,” said Jamie.
Jamie and her husband looked for ways to give meaning and purpose to young Ava’s short life. They donated all of Jamie’s breast milk to the hospital’s milk bank for children who were sick. They participated in several 5k runs, helped with Ronald McDonald House, Hearts of Hope and several other charities.
Now, the Zimmerman’s focus on two events each year to honor and remember Ava. The blood drive, which takes place each summer, first began on what would have been Ava’s 10 month anniversary. Over 75 people attended the first blood drive and each year the drive attracts people who want to show their support for the Zimmerman family. The blood drive at Niles Inn on July 6th will be the fourth annual Ava Zimmerman Blood Drive.
Their goal for the blood drive is to recruit more and more people each year to help people in the community.
Jamie began the blood drives, “because of Ava’s numerous transfusions, at least a dozen of different varieties, I thought this would be a great way to give back to the community and to keep her in the minds and hearts of all the people who had supported us through our tragic experience,” said Jamie.
In addition to the yearly blood drive, Jamie and her husband organize an annual poker run which funds, “Ava’s Heart Foundation” at Mott Children’s Hospital. To date, they have raised $18,000 from the poker runs and the fund helps other families of heart patients.
“I would like everyone to know what a strong, beautiful angel Ava is, although I know her followers during the time she was alive already realize that. The only thing we know for sure is that Ava’s spirit is still alive in all of us. Brayden helps us find glimpses of his sister in everyday things such as butterflies, pennies, dandelions, hearts and flowers,” said Jamie.
The Zimmerman’s welcomed Ava’s baby brother, Avary, into the family about a year ago and are sure he will help spread Ava’s spirit to the world, as well.
If you would like to make an appointment to donate blood in honor of Ava Zimmerman call 269.876.2317 or make an appointment online at http://bit.ly/AZBldDrive. Walk-ins are welcome to donate on July 6th at the Niles Inn, 930 South 11th Street in Niles from 2:00pm until 7:00pm.
All donors will be entered into South Bend Medical Foundation’s summer promotion and will be eligible for the raffle to win the 2012 Ford Focus from Jordan Automotive Group. For more information about the promotion visit www.GiveBloodNow.com
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