I was 18 years old when I met Ava Lee. She was a first year preschooler at William Fremd High School and I, a preschool teacher’s intern.

Ava stood out to me. First, because she was the most excited preschooler in the class and second, because her mom had previously sent a letter informing us that she was highly allergic to milk, eggs, nuts, wheat, soy, oats, beans, shellfish, fish, and coconut.

I remember telling my own mom about Ava that night and how she had immediately impacted me. I could only begin to empathize the way in which her allergies restricted a regular child’s lifestyle. For the remainder of the semester, I watched Ava do her very best to fit right in despite her allergies and envied her excitement to learn. Again and again, Ava’s best quality besides her bright smile, was her strength.

A few years later, my high school teacher contacted me and relayed the most recent news about Ava; she was now fighting leukemia.

There was no doubt Ava would beat cancer. If any little girl were to fight cancer and win, it would be Ava.

I wish this was the part I tell you I was right in not doubting Ava’s ability to beat cancer, but it’s not. Ava’s battle continues to this very day and her story to be told with varying days of good and bad news.

(To read Ava’s full story, go to www.facebook.com/teamavabright/)

Over the past year, I have followed Ava’s Facebook page and postings religiously. Esther Lee, Ava’s mom, is the most honest and spiritual woman and was meant to share this story with her words. Her posts move me in a way that is unexplainable. She tells the harsh realities of childhood cancer, the frustration she faces not being able to extinguish Ava’s sickness but most notably her faith that seeks His face in the darkest of hours.

Although I wanted to most obviously draw attention to Ava’s story and need for an uncounted number of prayers, there is something for all of us to learn by Ava.

Her story tells us that there is always more strength inside and that even the smallest of eight-year-olds can play a large impact on the world.

Esther’s story tells us that being a parent comes before all else in life and that without faith, she could not be sharing Ava’s battle.

The number of people following and praying for Ava tells us that as humans we are given the capacity to love and pray for someone we may not know and that prayer in numbers carries far greater weight- sometimes more than chemotherapy and radiation.

The duration of her battle tells us that everyday is a mystery. It can be filled with good or bad news. Everyday is another day we are gifted life and those days should never be taken for granted.

So today, and in this holiday season, love a little more, find that extra strength for yourself or to support someone you love, and please, say a prayer(s) for Ava Lee.