LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A college basketball star from Kansas whose career ended after a southern Indiana man crashed into her family in downtown Louisville two years ago has made a selfless donation to help children in need.
Ava Jones had just committed to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes when a car careened out of control and crashed into her family as they stood on the sidewalk in downtown Louisville in July 2022. Ava's father, Trey Jones, 42, died after the incident. Ava and her mother, Amy suffered life-altering injuries.
The man behind the wheel -- Michael Hurley from Lexington, Indiana -- was sentenced to 70 years on charges of murder, assault and DUI in December 2024.
Now Ava is facing another challenge in the form of cancer: she revealed last week on Instagram that she has Hodgkin lymphoma.
Pictured: this image from Facebook shows Ava Jones getting her first haircut in 19 years after she was diagnosed with cancer. (Amy Jones via Facebook)
"I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma after the results from the biopsy came back," she wrote. "This is the news no one ever wants to get, but especially after spending the last 2 and a half years working my butt off and recovering from getting hit by a car. My body is very strong and I am confident in the doctors here at Iowa."
Now, with chemotherapy treatments in her future, Ava's mother said on Facebook she decided to cut off her long hair and donate it to children in need.
"After the doctor implanted an infusaport this morning, we grabbed lunch, then headed to HABA salon for Ava’s first haircut in 19 years," she wrote. "If you know me, you know my love for Ava’s hair is a bit extreme. So today, when she decided to donate her hair to children in need, it was definitely harder for me than it was for Ava.
"She will begin chemo next week, 1 round every two weeks for the next 6 months, so she wanted to donate her beautiful blond hair while she still had a full head of healthy hair."
Iowa honored Jones' scholarship after the incident, and she was on the basketball team as a freshman before she medically retired in 2024. She had several surgeries to address the brain injury as well as the multiple torn ligaments in her knees. She redshirted last season with hopes of playing at some point during her career at Iowa.
Previous Coverage:
- Cancer diagnosis latest setback for Iowa's Ava Jones, 8 months after retiring from basketball
- GoFundMe for family hit by car in downtown Louisville has raised more than $92,000
- Makeshift memorial created for father hit, killed while walking in downtown Louisville
- Man dies after he and his family were hit by a car in downtown Louisville
- Police identify driver accused of hitting 4 people in downtown Louisville Tuesday evening
- Kansas high school basketball star, parents ID'd as victims of downtown Louisville pedestrian crash
