From Hospital Beds to Hope: How One Teen Is Spreading Joy Locally and Across the Globe 

At 15, Ayona has already faced more than most people do in a lifetime.

Now, she’s channeling every one of those experiences into something that’s changing lives.

Ayona was born into uncertainty. A high-risk prenatal diagnosis suggested she might have Down syndrome, and she arrived into the world prematurely. Within hours of her birth, she was already in surgery – an operation on her pancreas that set the tone for a childhood defined by hospitals, waiting rooms, and unanswered questions.

For a few years, things were relatively calm. Then, when Ayona was still young, doctors suspected Leukemia. It turned out to be something else entirely: gastric and esophageal grade 3 varices (a serious complication of portal hypertension), involving enlarged veins that can rupture without warning. She experienced internal bleeds multiple times. She has splenomegaly (an enlarged spleen), as another complication of portal hypertension resulting in her continuous platelet count drop, increasing her risk of an internal bleed every single day. She learned to live with a reality that most kids her age couldn’t imagine – the knowledge that at any moment, without a single symptom, her body could be in crisis again. Surgeons are currently exploring options to help manage her condition going forward.

It’s a heavy weight to carry. And for a long time, Ayona felt it.

“I used to feel a sense of sadness – why is this happening to me, and why am I sick while other children are out playing?”

But somewhere in that sadness, something shifted.

A Small Idea That Grew into Something Big 

In June 2025, Ayona launched The Kindness and Smile Zone – a youth-led initiative with a simple but powerful mission: to bring smiles to sick children and youth, and to give hospitalized kids “a sense of joy and distraction while they’re in a hospital bed.”

She started small, intentionally so.

“I knew that I wanted to start something, and I knew the best way to do that was to start small and grow over time.”

That instinct proved right. What began as a personal passion project quickly grew into a community. Ayona started posting online, sharing her story, and recruiting volunteers. The response, she says, was far beyond what she expected.

“Once I started posting and spreading the word amongst my community, I slowly started recruiting volunteers – many of them older than me – wanting to join the team.”

Today, The Kindness and Smile Zone has volunteers across Canada, the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the Philippines, and Pakistan. Together, they have reached over 400 children and hosted seven online webinars featuring students and medical professionals.

Cards, Awards, and a Growing Partnership 

One of Ayona’s most tangible contributions has been a handmade card drive – over 100 cards created and donated to the Children’s Health Foundation (CHF). The effort didn’t go unnoticed. Ayona won a leadership award from the London Community Foundation, along with a $500 donation to CHF in her honour.

Her work caught our attention, and she’s since become a CHF Patient Ambassador – a role she’s embraced wholeheartedly.

“The chance to connect with CHF, become an ambassador, and have people recognizing my work – all of that has been amazing. Behind the recognition, I’m grateful because I’ve been able to inspire more people – at my school, my sister’s school – to start their own projects.”

The Dream Behind the Drive 

Ayona isn’t slowing down. She hopes to grow her volunteer base, raise more funds for CHF, and potentially register The Kindness and Smile Zone as a nonprofit charity. After high school, she has her sights set on Western University or McMaster – in Health Sciences or Medical Sciences – with a dream of becoming a medical professional.

But the goal closest to her heart is simpler than any of that.

“I want to inspire more young leaders to do something useful themselves, and to share my story so others don’t view their illness as a life problem.”

For Ayona, that’s not just a mission statement. It’s a lesson she learned from lived experience, and one she’s determined to pass on.

To learn more about The Kindness and Smile Zone and support Ayona’s work with the Children’s Health Foundation, visit her website.