Saving Ava: When a cancer drug shortage imperiled a toddler, her mom got to work
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The drug that Alyssa Luciano fought so hard to get for her little girl was ready. Two nurses held syringes. Together, they counted down: 3, 2, 1. Then they jabbed the needles into Avalynn’s chubby thighs. The sobbing 2-year-old shrieked even louder. Though it was tough to listen to her baby wail, Luciano knew this medicine was essential for wiping out any last leukemia cells lurking in Ava’s body. She had been told by every authority she could reach — t
