“I feel like he was like, ‘I get this chance to be here, and I’m gonna do it all,’” said Avery’s mom, Tina.

Tina couldn’t be prouder of her eldest son, as he graduates from a Portland high school this year. She’s watched him excel in sports, even win state championships in events he tried for the first time! It all comes after his biggest accomplishment, overcoming a rare cancer that cost him his right arm.

Toward the end of Avery’s freshman year, he was battling pain in his right shoulder. It was followed by intense swelling and Tina said in a matter of weeks, his shoulder was the size of a grapefruit.

“It was very evident,” she said, “that something was very, very, very wrong.”

The first week of that summer, Avery was given devasting news about the cause of his pain. It was cancer. He entered a chemotherapy trial to try and save his arm, but his condition continued to worsen.

“We had entered a crisis,” said Tina. “Either we removed the tumor and the cancer immediately, or we were in very serious danger of losing him.”

Avery was stunned. Heartbroken. Days before his 15th birthday, his right arm was amputated.

“It broke his heart. I mean, it absolutely broke his heart when they told him,” said Tina.

Long, difficult hospital stays followed. The COVID-19 pandemic made ongoing treatment more complicated. Avery was confined to the cancer ward and not able to talk with other patients. Only one parent was allowed to visit at a time. His younger brothers never set foot inside the hospital.

“I just wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. There wasn’t a lot of communication with the outside world,” said Avery.

Avery was soon introduced to Make-A-Wish. He was given a new opportunity to dream. He began imagining an adventure in Hawaii and eating fresh mangos in paradise. While the team started planning, Avery’s wish granters wanted to brighten his dreary stay. They dropped off a “Mele Kalikimaka” package around the holidays for him to decorate his IV pole Avery had named “Gerald.”

Tina reported Avery’s smiles were the first she had seen in weeks.

“They not only provided me with renewed hope, but I was able to share the gifts, and that hope, with a fellow patient," said Avery.

He learned a neighbor on the cancer ward was having an even harder time coping than him. Avery literally and figuratively shared his light with her. He gave a nurse a battery pack of lights from “Gerald” and asked them to bring it next door to help his neighbor shine.

Avery knew there was power in joy. It spreads. It changes lives. In a matter of months, he was about to experience life-changing joy in a big way.

The following summer, Avery took flight across the ocean and was soon soaking in his dream turned reality. He was in Hawaii and his wish to enjoy a delicious mango there was coming true!

“The moment I first entered my hotel room in Hawaii, I knew the wish would be incredible," said Avery. “There was a huge basket of almost 10 different types of mangos."

The joyful rush that came from that first juicy bite was cemented into his memory. Avery said his wish opened a door to a whole new world.

After returning from his wish, Avery continued to spread positivity. He became a Wish Ambassador in 2023 to raise funds and awareness for other local wish kids. He’s determined to show others that despite going through incredibly difficult, challenging things - you can enjoy everything life has to offer.

“I don’t really enjoy giving up on the day," said Avery. “You know, some people show up at school and they‘ll be like, ‘I’m tired. I’ll just take it easy, get through the day.’ I enjoy going out and making the most of it."

Avery joined his school’s ski team and became one of their fastest competitors. He made varsity baseball, then set his sights on track and field. This spring, Avery won all four of his para-athlete events at the track and field state championship!

Avery is now going full speed ahead into life’s adventures as he graduates from high school and continues his educational journey at Portland Community College.

He said he shares his story because, “I hope to inspire children to keep a positive attitude while going through treatment.”