Jeremy Renner is reflecting on a meaningful moment in his recovery, thanks to a heartfelt essay written by his 12-year-old daughter, Ava.
Appearing on the latest episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Hawkeye star, 54, shared with guest host Jelly Roll how Ava’s school assignment brought back powerful memories from his healing journey.
The essay, which is featured at the start of Renner’s memoir My Next Breath, was based on a prompt asking students to write about a moment they were most proud of.
Ava chose the day her father picked her up from school, a moment that might seem small on the surface, but was a significant achievement for Renner following his near-fatal snowplow accident on New Year’s Day 2023.
“It sounds like nothing, but when it’s post the accident, you know. I wanted to create something really special for her, a milestone in my recovery,” Renner recalled.
“It took me about an hour and a half to get into the car. I’m literally bumbling down the steps and everything.”
Renner explained how important it was to him to show Ava that he was getting stronger and doing better.
“It was something I needed to do. I needed to get out of the house. I needed to show her that I was actually really recovering in a really big way,” he said.
“And her writing that essay is just a reminder that it was just as important to me [as] it was to her [in] showing her that her dad’s getting better. And, it’s because of her that I am better.”
Renner shares Ava with his ex, Sonni Pacheco.
Since the terrifying accident that left him with life-threatening injuries after being crushed by a 14,000-pound Snowcat, Renner has often credited his daughter for being his greatest source of strength.
In a moving post celebrating Ava’s 10th birthday, he wrote, “I stand up for you, and I am stronger than before because of you. I am your father, I am your protector, and I am only yours. I love you.”
That bond continues to be a powerful force in his life, reminding him, and others, of the strength that love and purpose can bring during the hardest times.
