Little bundle brings Christmas joy to grateful parents
SNUGGLED up to mum in a festive beanie, baby Ava is the ultimate gift.
The tiny bub who has captured hearts around the world will spend her first Christmas in hospital — but her parents are just grateful she is with them.
Ava was born almost two months premature in November in a risky bid to prolong her mum’s life, and has been gaining weight, strength and a spunky personality.
Hope is growing that Ava will be home in a month, giving terminally ill mum Michelle Buchholtz a boost in her fight with aggressive cancer.
“We got an early Christmas present with her,’’ said Ms Buchholtz on Sunday.
“She’s giving me hope. What I’m going through with the chemotherapy isn’t that easy, but she keeps me strong, seeing her doing so well.’’
The one-month-old — who was originally due on February 1 — now tips the scales at 1767g, almost twice her birth weight, and has progressed out of the neonatal intensive care unit at the Royal Women’s Hospital.
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Ms Buchholtz and fiance Alex Ansalone will visit the hospital’s special care nursery on Christmas morning for a cuddle.
They have written a letter of thanks to all those who dug deep and donated to help with Ms Buchholtz’s treatment, after the Herald Sun revealed their plight last month.
Their goal of $50,000 for medical costs including alternative therapies has been surpassed nearly five times, with $285,000 raised, and donations continue to flow.
A cot is crammed with touching gifts that have poured in courtesy of wellwishing strangers, from hand-knitted beanies and clothes to fluffy toys and nappies.
Ms Buchholtz made the difficult decision to give birth at 29 weeks as doctors were concerned her cancer-ravaged body would not cope with a full-term pregnancy.
The couple had terminated two other pregnancies, one during her first fight with breast cancer and the second due to life-threatening abnormalities detected in her unborn child.
The couple only discovered the disease had returned and spread to her bones 17 weeks into her third pregnancy.
Royal Women’s Hospital obstetrician Dr Nicola Yuen said Ava could now spend hours each day bonding with her parents and doctors were happy with her progress.
She will be able to go home once she can suckle on her own.
“Ava is really cute, she’s full of spirit and cheeky,” she said.
“Michelle now has every reason to keep on going. She said it’s a million times easier to go through this watching what Ava is going through, that ‘It’s the least I can do to be with her’.
“Having Ava has definitely bought Michelle some time.’’
They have put their wedding plans on hold as the rigours of chemotherapy take a toll on Ms Buchholtz’s health.
Mr Ansalone is still collecting donations and said they will help towards Ava’s future and his time off work.
Donate at mycause or in the following account.
Account name: Michelle Buchholtz
BSB: 013 377
Account number: 2846 01798
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