Ava Jones: The Day Everything Changed
How do you rebuild your life when it shatters twice before you turn 21?
Ava Jones was living her dream as a high school basketball star, days away from playing Division I ball at the University of Iowa. Then, a drunk driver hit her family, killing her father and leaving Ava and her mother critically injured. Two years later, while still healing from a traumatic brain injury, Ava was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma.
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Even with everything stacked against her, Ava somehow radiates a sense of gratitude. She talks about therapy, grief, and learning to love her life again – not because it’s easy, but because she’s still here to live it.
Resilience isn’t about pushing through pain. It’s about finding light in the middle of it.
3 Things to Think About
Healing doesn’t mean going back to who you were before—it means meeting who you are now with compassion.
Hope can live beside heartbreak. You don’t have to choose one.
Sometimes strength looks like asking for help and letting others carry you for a while.
2 Things to Ask Yourself
What part of my story am I still trying to “fix” instead of accepting?
How can I make space for gratitude, even when I’m still grieving?
1 Thing to Try This Week
Write a short letter to your past self. Thank them for surviving what they didn’t think they could. Notice how far you’ve come.
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I created a short-form podcast, “It’s Okay If…” Each episode is under three minutes long and provides a permission slip to be human. I’d be honored if you subscribed to the show. New episodes are released every Wednesday at noon ET.
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