At 12 years old, Ava Paige started writing her own songs. At 13, she landed a standing gig on Nashville’s Broadway. By 14, she was touring, traveling and playing more than 150 shows a year.
Then something didn’t feel right.
Ava returned home from a tour in Texas and was sent to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, where six doctors walked into her room, closed the door and told her, “You have cancer.”
In an instant, more than 70 scheduled appearances were canceled and the country music career she had spent years building came to a stop. Ava began two and a half years of chemotherapy, with doctors unsure whether she would ever reach remission.
Now five years cancer-free, Ava is back onstage and giving other young cancer patients the support she understands firsthand. She joins Amanda ahead of her performance at the Yellow Stones benefit for With Love to discuss her remarkable start in country music, fighting her way back and building Pickin’ and Kickin’ Cancer for teenagers going through treatment.
Ava also shares the karaoke moment with Kelly Clarkson that helped start her career and the Texas cowboy who inspired her new song, “End of Your Rope.”
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