Ashley Speaker was originally diagnosed with cancer when she was only 11 years old - an incredibly unfair situation for any kid to have to go through. But after close to 10 surgeries, 10 months of chemo, and nearly every complication possible, she emerged victorious from her battle and has been an overcomer in remission for 25 years as of February 2021.

Of course, cancer is sort of a crappy disease, and in May of 2021, after a routine mammogram, the 'c' word reared its ugly head. Two more mammograms and a biopsy proved to find a very early stage malignancy called 'ductal carcinoma in situ'. The GREAT news, is that this is the earliest that breast cancer can be found; in fact, its referred to as stage 0. The bad news, is that because of Ashley's personal history and family history with cancer, radical treatment is recommended. This means a bilateral mastectomy - complete removal of both left and right breast tissue - with immediate autologous reconstruction called DIEP, which removes tissue, fat, and blood vessels from the abdomen, and is then reconstructed into new breasts. This is a major surgery, with a 6-8 week recovery. It will be anything but a walk in the park, and the Speaker family, from Ashley to Jordan and Riley and Noah, will require the support of family and friends to endure and overcome this new journey set before them.

Medical bills have already begun piling up, with many more procedures and surgeries to come. The family is very blessed to have private insurance, but deductibles and coinsurance bills add up quickly. Jordan is unable to work on days where he accompanies Ashley to appointments, and they are often in need of childcare when hospital and doctor visits are on the calendar that they both need to attend to.

More than anything, Ashley and Jordan need emotional and spiritual support as they venture down this road again. Fortunately, they are blessed with incredible friends and family, and know that prayer support is already ongoing and will continue over the next few months.

In regards to financial support, the goal is to raise $5,000 to help with medical bills, surgery and recovery costs, and incidentals incurred with Jordan being off work. Any amount raised over $5,000 will be donated to the Bridewell Foundation, which sends children ages 6-15, being treated for cancer at Children's Hospital in Dallas, to summer camp at no cost to families. Camp Esperanza is a passion of Ashley's, and she and Jordan have been volunteering as counselors there since 2010, after Ashley attended as a camper herself from 1995 to 1999. Your financial support is a huge blessing to the Speaker family and they want to put each and every penny to good use worthy of the giving.