Avery's Bucket List: Baby Avery Passes at 5 Months
It is with great sadness that The Christian Post reports the death of baby Avery Lynn Canahuati. She was only 5 months old but left an incredible impact on everyone she met, and even those she never had the chance to.
Her parents started Avery's Bucket List to help their daughter accomplish many things in the course of her 18-month estimated lifespan, but unfortunately Avery passed away before many things could be done.
"Avery passed away yesterday sometime around 3 p.m. due to pulmonary complications related to SMA [Spinal Muscular Atrophy]," her father Mike wrote on Avery's blog. "Avery's passing this quickly came as a complete shock to all of us, as she had just been given a thumbs up at her last doctor's appointment only three days ago."
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Baby Avery captivated the nation with her story and expected lifespan. The bucket list was a creative idea thought up by her parents in order to allow her to do such things as throw out the first ball during a baseball game and get a (fake) tattoo. Those are two things she was able to accomplish in a short amount of time, though the ultimate goal was to raise awareness of Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
The goal was to raise $1 million for Dr. Kaspar's SMA Gene Therapy program, which the family says "could cure Avery's friends or at the very least offer advancements towards a cure for them." To date, the family only needs $365,000 more to meet that final goal.
"When people think of me," Avery wrote on her blog, "I hope they'll also think of all my friends who have been through this and who are going through this now. But what I really hope for is that when people think about me, they will not waste time sitting there feeling sorry for me, rather I hope they will STAND UP in honor of me and all of my friends (past, present, and future)."
Little Avery made the rounds on TV just last week to share her story with the nation. Even President Obama sent her a get-well letter and photo of the family. One literary society is planning to make Avery an honorary member (on her bucket list) and raise funds for the SMA organization.
While Avery may not be here physically, her name and dreams will remain with people long after her passing.
