Ava Perryman is like every other 2-year-old. Jumping, and running and asking many questions where ever she goes. There is just one thing that sets Ava apart from the rest. She can’t smile.

When Ava was 3 months old, they discovered Ava had a very rare tumor called hemangioma growing on the inside of the left side of her face. During the surgery to remove the tumor and reconstruct her face, Ava sustained severe nerve damage, causing the paralysis.

“As time went on after the surgery, we noticed she couldn’t blink or smile with that side of her face,” Megan Perryman, Ava’s mother, said.

Perryman said she went on a hunt looking for a doctor that could help her daughter’s situation. Many doctors were nervous about performing the surgery on little Ava, making Perryman apprehensive about finding a doctor.

“I just knew that there was someone out there that could do the surgery. I wanted someone that was confident that they could do it,” Perryman said.

Perryman posted E-mails on websites asking for any information any other parents might have on doctors that might be able to assist. Soon she began to receive calls from doctors in New York who wanted to help. Few doctors expressed interest in Ava’s case, and after meeting Dr. Peter Costantino in New York she decided he was the one.

“He was very straight forward, told me the risks immediately and he gave me the confidence to move forward with the surgery,” Perryman said. “At one point he looked me right in the eye and told me if Ava was his daughter he’d do the same.”

The surgery, predicted to take 12 hours is expected to cost $200,000. Insurance will cover 80 percent, leaving Perrymans cost to $40,000-50,000. Ava will have to wait until she is 3-years-old and her face matures before she will be able to have the procedure.

“During the operation Dr. Costantino will cut nerves out of Ava’s leg, and place the working nerves into the right side of her face,” Perryman explained.

Many fundraisers have already helped Ava’s cause raise over $30,000. Pot luck dinners, poker runs, cheerleading competitions, drama departments and various other fundraisers have been held to help the Perrymans with the cost of the procedure.

“I just want people to see her as a regular person. When it’s your child, you’ll do whatever you need to do.”

The clarion colonel will be taking donations for Ava beginning Monday. Dec. 17th.