Sick Toddler Snubbed; Mom Hopes for Birthday Cards

A mom in Colorado Springs is sending out a nationwide birthday card request for her 3-year-old daughter. The toddler has a disease that makes celebrating with a party almost impossible.

Ava Graziano looks and acts like a normal 3-year-old, but she was born with a deadly and rare birth defect called congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or CDH.

One in every 2,500 babies is diagnosed with CDH, and only 50 percent survive.

Ava was given only a 13 percent chance to live. She was born without a diaphragm on her right side and her lungs were severely compressed and underdeveloped. The slightest cold could put her life in danger.

Despite those odds, Ava turns 3 years old next week.

"They basically said she was a rock star," her mother, Dawn Graziano, said.

"I was a baby," Ava chimed in.  

"We can't have a birthday party for her like a normal child," her mom explained. "We have to be very cautious with social interactions."

Instead of throwing a party, Graziano is asking for cards and letters for Ava's birthday on Oct. 8.

"It's been really hard because I want her to have a normal life, but it's hard when people treat her differently," she said.

Graziano tried to throw a birthday party for Ava last year, but no one showed up.

"I think a lot of it stems from people fearing what they don't understand," she said. "People have removed their children from being near her or playing with her because they're afraid of her feeding tube. They don't understand. She's just a little girl."

CBN News decided to join in on making Ava's birthday special by sending a card, and we hope you'll do the same.

If you would like to send a card, send them to:

Ava Graziano
6414 Casual Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80923.

To learn more about Ava story and CDH please visit her Facebook page at Ava's Journey.