A Milford family is trying to overcome the grief of losing their young daughter to a terminal cancer tumor.
Avery Rafferty grew up in Milford surrounded by a loving family and a strong support system in the form of ski and soccer teams.
Her parents described her as someone who brought people together and made them smile.
But in December 2021, Avery and her family's life changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with diffuse midline glioma, a terminal brain tumor, at just nine years old.
From that moment on, the parents began researching ways to treat their daughter, since there was no cure at the time.
“All of the drugs and treatments she received were clinical trials, so we had to negotiate with hospitals and facilities and evaluation studies — all of which were not a guarantee of a cure, but a hope that they might work,” Paul Rafferty said.
Doctors told the Raffertys that Avery only had a few months to live.
Avery underwent a total of four brain surgeries, participated in two clinical trials, and underwent two radiation treatments before passing away in July 2024 at the age of 12.
“We tried to balance traveling as best we could with the treatments she had to undergo, doing fun things and spending quality time as a family,” Lisa Laffery said.
After Avery's diagnosis, the Raffertys founded Avery's Little Army, a grassroots organization to raise awareness of childhood cancer.
“As Paul said, it's true that there isn't a lot of federal funding directed specifically at these brain tumors, so a lot of the research and trials that are funded to extend children's lives and ultimately find a cure are grassroots efforts like the one we started,” Lisa said.
Avery's father, Paul, added that Avery's Little Army is also a way for him to carry on his daughter's legacy.
“Avery cared about stuff like that. I can't remember a time when she didn't help another kid,” Paul said.
As another way to honour their daughter, the Raffertys are asking the soccer community and beyond to leave a pair of cleats, sneakers or shoes outside their home on Wednesday, July 24, take a photo of the shoes and tag the Avery's Little Army page on Facebook.
“To honor Avery and to honor and raise awareness of our peers in the football community who have fought and lost their lives to this cancer, whether they knew her or not.”
To learn more about Avery's Little Army, click here.
