On April 23rd, 2009, 18 month old Ava Lopez, her three year old sister Isabella and their mother Traci were struck down by an intoxicated driver while in the front yard of their home. Ava was airlifted to University Hospital, the only pediatric trauma center in San Antonio, where it was anticipated that she had suffered life ending head injuries. Miraculously, she survived and after time spent in the pediatric intensive care unit, she was transferred to the Christus Santa Rosa Pediatric Inpatient Hospital for rehabilitation. Today, Ava is alive and continues to rehabilitate.
The outpouring of prayers and support from their family, friends, the community, and complete strangers overwhelms them to this day. Thousands of people kept up on Ava’s progress by following a journal posted on caringbridge.org. They offered their prayers, food, and money to help with equipment needed during rehabilitation.
The Lopez Family recognized that many children in the hospital and their families didn’t have the support that they were fortunate to receive. Creating Ava’s Wish, Inc. is their way of providing resources that these individuals may utilize and benefit from during a stressful and possibly life changing event.
