On April 7th, 2023, Ava Costa, a 14-year-old gymnast on the Australian National Team, sustained a serious spinal injury during training that left her with no movement below her point of injury, despite emergency surgery. Ava has been a dedicated gymnast since the age of 5 and was training for the 2024 Olympics, and her mental and physical strength has made her a role model to many young aspiring gymnasts at the elite level of sports.
Now navigating life in a wheelchair after her injury, Ava shows us every day what resilience really looks like. Bold, determined and unstoppable in spirit. In collaboration with Ava and her family, Sylvia P is proud to be bringing back the Walking with Ava and Made for Magic Leotards, to support Ava's ongoing journey with all proceeds donated to the Walking with Ava Foundation.
orders close in:
Walking with Ava - Made to Order
A Message from Ava
"A big thank you to everyone who has been following my journey and for your continued support. You’ve helped me grow into the person I am today. With the leotards and the support, we’ve been able to help so many other people as well. We’ve started a Sharing Shed to be able to help others less fortunate than me, and having everyone on my side with the leos and all your support has really helped. Thank-you everyone!"
Ava's Sharing Shed
Even in the face of it all, Ava shows up with heart first. Strong, kind, and always thinking beyond herself, she’s constantly finding ways to support others within the spinal cord injury community.
The Sharing Shed is her way of turning care into action, a space where families can access and share wheelchairs and life-changing equipment, helping more people feel supported, empowered, and never alone in their journey.
ava's journey
Stay connected with Walking With Ava on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates, stories, and moments that matter most.
If you’re in a position to, consider supporting the Costa family as they continue to navigate this journey, doing everything they can to provide the very best care for Ava, every single day.
Walking with Ava FAQs
Together with Ava, our team created this leotard to incorporate her favourite colours and design elements. By purchasing this made-to-order leotard, you can help us help Ava and support her journey to recovery.
You can follow Ava’s journey through The Walking With Ava Instagram account here.
Yes, you can still show your support and donate here at www.walkingwithava.org
For each garment sold, we will be donating the profits to the Walking With Ava Foundation to support Ava's journey to recovery. A small portion of the garment price will be used by Sylvia P to assist with production costs to ensure that this donation is possible.
The Walking with Ava Collection will be available to order from Monday, 27th April and orders will close on Sunday, 3rd May at 11:59 PM.
Following this, all Walking with Ava Collection products will no longer be available to order.
We are making your garments to order, therefore products will be shipped from Monday 15th June 2026.
Yes! For ease of logistics, we’ll ship all these items together i.e the in-stock garments will be shipped with the Walking with Ava Collection garments on the estimated shipping date above.
All Walking with Ava Collection garments are made to order, so these can’t be returned or exchanged for a different size. Please review our return policy here.