Avis Anna is a very outgoing 4-year-old. You would never know her medical journey was so serious.

Avis Anna has been experiencing virus-like symptoms for the past year and a half. She had frequent doctor visits due to fevers, nausea, and vomiting without any known cause. Doctors said her symptoms were likely a result of a virus and would subside on their own, however, they continued to recur.

In July of this year, Avis Anna had a fateful event where she fell while waiting for a GI test and showed signs of a concussion.

Since they were at the hospital when she fell, they were able to get immediate attention and it was then that a CT scan revealed a lesion in her brain.

From there her family began to get the correct diagnosis for what had been the source of all the symptoms Avis Anna had been having.

Avis Anna has a primary arachnoid cyst in the left hemisphere of her brain. This is the most common type of brain cyst. The cysts are fluid-filled sacs, not tumors, appearing in one of the three layers of tissue covering the central nervous system.

Avis Anna was scheduled for surgery on January 9, 2023, in Portland. During a meeting with her doctor before the operation, her parents received the great news that it was not necessary yet! The cyst is still there but has not grown in 6 months.

Avis Anna will have another MRI in 6 months, and she will have appointments with other specialists soon.

Avis Anna is a very fun-loving, sweet, and caring little girl. She is very outgoing and sociable. She loves the outdoors and learned to ski on her own last year.

Avis Anna will be adopted as a Sparrow to High Desert Middle School. High Desert students will work hard to raise money for Avis Anna through sponsored community service.