In September 2025, junior Avery Royer spoke in front of thousands of individuals at Cancer Fest in Washington D.C., to advocate for pediatric cancer and future research for families, like hers, who had a family member battle cancer.
In 2024, Avery’s sister, McKenna Royer, passed away at 11 years old from diffuse midline glioma, a form of pediatric cancer. After McKenna’s death, Avery and her family started the Brave Like McKenna Foundation.
“We had to take our heartbreak and our anger and turn it into something positive so that we were honoring my sister and helping other people,” Avery said. “We [took] our brokenness and our hurt and turned it into something that’s going to help other people find their way in the same exact situations.”
According to Avery’s mother, Janell Royer, the foundation helps uphold McKenna’s legacy.
“We took something that was super painful, and when you go through something like that, you have to find purpose and meaning in it,” Janell said. “Turning our love into action means continuing McKenna’s light and being a beacon of hope for all of the families that come after us.”
Avery knows she is honoring her sister and uses her every time she steps up as an advocate for those battling pediatric cancer.
“I’m able to do something so powerful and I have an opportunity that a lot of other people don’t,” Avery said.
As Avery continues speaking at cancer awareness events and working as a junior board member for the Brave Like McKenna Foundation, she has learned invaluable lessons.
“I have learned I can do hard things and be a person that people could look up to,” Avery said. “[I can] help them realize that just because you’re a teenager doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it. Everybody has a voice, and it just depends on how you want to use it.”
In the future, Avery hopes to continue to use her voice for the benefit of others by working on research treatment care and expanding opportunities for pediatric patients. This desire comes from the pediatrics she encountered during her sister’s treatment.
“I remember what it was like being in the hospital with my sister and seeing the positivity come from these pediatric workers and how positive it made their experience,” Avery said. “I would kill to give that back to someone else.”
Despite her hopes for her future, the most important thing that Avery carrys with her isadetermination to help others.
“Helping other people is probably one of the most important things that you could do here on this earth,” Avery said. “Everybody has different struggles, but there’s always something that you can do to help another person.”
