On September 7, the Live Like Ava Foundation, honoring 18-year-old Ava Mickelson of Spanish Fork who passed away from leukemia on October 30, 2022. The foundation will be hosting Ava’s Bigfoot Stomp, which is its second annual community fun run. According to the foundation, the event is more than just an excuse to get active. The goal is to make a positive impact in the community by helping support a local family in need, showing the same love and concern for others that Ava showed during her life.
This year, the fun run will benefit a young boy, known simply as “Q,” and his family. The oldest of four siblings, Q has been facing health challenges, including a diagnosis of thyroid cancer that has spread to his lungs. Though young, Q has already undergone multiple treatments and surgeries. However, he remains brave and resilient. Donations and participation in the Bigfoot Stomp will be used to offer much-needed support to Q’s family.
The fun run and the foundation both function in honor of Ava, who passed away as a high school senior after a three-day battle with leukemia. Those who knew her best recall that she was a sociable, outgoing, fun-loving, and curious girl. Less than two months before her passing, Ava had run a personal best at a cross-country meet and had been the second attendant in the homecoming royalty.
Hers was a vibrant life, cut tragically short, but still had a profound impact. Although she loved finding ways to make life special and serve others, her parents and family were still surprised to learn just what an impact Ava had made on so many lives.
“Our family received so much kindness when Ava passed away,” Ava’s mother, Alena Mickelson said. “We also received so many thoughtful messages about Ava’s influence. We heard stories about Ava that she never shared with us. We knew she was kind, but suddenly we found out about a hundred stories of Ava finding ‘the one’ who needed her love and attention.”
It was Alena Mickelson who coined the phrase, “Live like Ava.” During her daughter’s funeral, she invited those in attendance to live like her daughter, which further inspired them to start the Live Like Ava Foundation in order to honor their daughter’s selflessness.
The first fun run wasn’t planned by the foundation. In fact, it was a complete surprise for Ava’s family. To honor Ava’s birthday, neighbors and friends secretly planned a party for Ava that included a fun run. At the party, the city also unveiled a new park bench on a trail in Ava’s neighborhood placed in her memory. The fun run proved to be such a success, that Ava’s family decided to continue the tradition, using it as an opportunity to fundraise for a family in need. Along with the fundraiser, the fun run also supports service projects that align with Ava’s interests. This year the foundation is making school kits for underprivileged children overseas because Ava wanted to become a schoolteacher.
“The park bench is beautiful,” Alena Mickelson said. “We are so appreciative of the love and support of so many people.”
Ava’s Bigfoot stomp received its name because Ava was a bigfoot enthusiast. She loved learning about the popular cryptid and often tried to persuade her friends to believe. On her 18th birthday, she took her friends into the mountains where they practiced bigfoot calls and “tree knocks,” which are believed by some to be a form of communication used by sasquatch.
During the fun run, a friend in the neighborhood dresses up in a bigfoot costume and interacts with the children, taking pictures with participants.
