Ashley & Samantha Housel Fund

Ashley is still battling AML and we are not giving up on her.  In the past year Ashley and Samantha have both had their ups and down with this cancer battle.  They spent months together in Miami Children's Hospital going through Chemo and fighting.  Over the summer of this year it seemed as though the fight was almost over.  Both Ashley and Samantha were out of the hospital and thriving!!! They got to experience a Disney Cruise for the first time with their family and came home to a wonderful princess 4th birthday party.  We all were in great spirits seeing them both happy and seeming healthy. 

Then one unexpecting Ashley started to complain of tummy and leg pain and like that the nightmare started all over again.  After observation they concluded that Ashley's tumor had returned to the original size and was growing at a rapid rate.  She attempt to the hospital to do one more round of chemo (hoping to stop it) and was sent home.  Still the pain continued and they returned to the hospital only a few days later to find out it was even bigger and the chemo didn't work.  They airlifted Ashley back to Miami Children's Hospital where they concluded the tumor was pushing up against her viral organ and to relieve some pressure they gave her a colostomy bag.  That night Ashley stopped breathing on her own and was put in an incubator to help her breathe and monitior her virals.  The doctors then advised Monique and Mike that they believed that radiation would be her last chance of survival to stop the growth of the tumor.  This was the most terroring moment of all of lives.  We all were in disbelief that in only a weeks she went from a seemingly health child to this. 

They transferred Ashley from Miami Children's to Jackson Memorial Hospital where they had the capability to treat with radiation while incubated.  It's almost been a month and Ashley is still going through radiation but is no longer in a incubator.  She is still in PICU, but is able to breathe and on her own and is moving in a good direction.  We all know the war against this cancer is far from over but we pray everyday we are a little closer the end. 

Keep supporting and praying for theses two beautiful girls.  They deserve the best and most of all to be home as a whole family once again.

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My twin niece Ashley Jo and Samantha Joann Housel are the friendliest, sweet and strongest three year olds I know. They may be tiny but nothing about her personality suggest she is small in any way. She can carry on a conversation with any adult and play like the energizer bunny with her siblings and cousins.

On Friday, December 20 my sister (Monique) noticed that Ashley's leg appeared to be a bit swollen compared to the other and she seemed to very tender. Being a great mom, Monique instantly decided to take Ashley to the ER to get her leg checked. Once at the ER they noticed that Ashley had a mass (tumor) in her abdomen that was pushing against some of her viral organs. They immediately transferred to a near by children's hospital. Since then Ashley has undergone two biopsies, multiple MRI's, they have extracted bone marrow fluid and so much more. The wonderful doctors and nurses in the children's hospital are doing everything in their power to diagnose Ashley's tumor. They have determined to some degree that it may be cancer or the tumor may be cancerous. The surgeons have already implanted a port in Ashley's chest to start Chemo Therapy, but they cannot start treatment until they know exactly what they are treating. The Doctors and surgeons are hoping to know soon from her second biopsy that was performed on December 27. 

Only a few days after the New Year the doctors found the same kind of mass in Samantha (Ashley's twin sister). Both  girls are currently at Miami's Children Hospital under going procedures and treatment to get them better. 

I have decided to start this donation site to help my sister and brother in law with the financial difficulties that come from having a child in the hospital. We are not sure at this time what exactly her insurance will cover and what other expenses may incur from her treatment. Our number one goal is to make sure Ashley and Samantha comes home soon happy and healthy. Not only does my sister and brother in law have to emotionally work through having their babies in the hospital but they also have the older brother's Damien and Joshua to care for. Thank god for our amazing family and friends for pulling together at this time to help as much as possible.


Through all these procedures this tough little girl has greeted her parents, siblings, family and friends with a smile on her face and laughter. She is my hero. I do not know many people that can undergo some many obstacles and still put a smile on their face. Being a mother to a three year old myself it's unimaginable to understand what my sister and brother in law are going through.


So please support my our page to help ease the mind of Ashley's parents of the financial burden, so that we can focus on the making sure Ashley gets all treatment and care possible so she can come home.

I will be keeping everyone updated as more information from the doctors are given to us.