Rest in Peace Ashley

Co-organized

A.B. Kelly and Zachary Quarles are organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Michael Mauldin.

Donation protected

Ashley David Davenport
2/1/1978 - 6/24/2021

The world has truly lost an amazing soul.

Michael has confirmed that Ashley passed on from this world last night. Our deepest condolences go out to Michael, Prisci and all of his loved ones. To know him for even a moment was a precious gift, so it is safe to say that many hearts are heavy today.

The journey of saying goodbye to Ashley will be made even more difficult by the expense of lingering medical costs and funeral arrangements, so at this time the fund will remain open to accept contributions to assist Michael during this painful time. Please continue to share so that we may weave a net of security and kindness to ease this strain a little if we can.

Rest in peace, Ashley. You will be immeasurably missed.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.

April 2021
No one knows why bad things sometimes happen to very good people. Wait no, scratch that. Not good people. The BEST people...

If you know Ashley, then you already know what a spectacularly kind, creative, funny, wonderful human being he is. His generosity and humor have touched thousands of lives. Professionally Ashley has made magic for years in various creative fields, but most recently he turned his ability to create spectacular delicacies into his own business. Anyone who's been lucky enough to spend time with Ashley and his husband Michael know that they warmly welcome others into their home, enjoy sharing beautiful meals, stories, and laughs with others, and have been known to rescue a pet or two (or three or four...) in need.

In the past six months life has not been as kind to Ashley and Michael as they have been to others.

Last fall Ashley's health began a sharp decline, and by November of 2020 Ashley was experiencing acute liver and kidney failure. He suffered catastrophic drops in blood pressure, underwent countless tests, and was hospitalized for many weeks in the ICU. In December Ashley's prospects were looking better with the blessing of a successful liver transplant, followed by a move to a facility for rehabilitative therapy in late January of 2021.

Unfortunately since then Ashely has faced a gauntlet of challenges; fever, infection, a bowel blockage, 2 cardiac arrests, and a stroke which have left him mostly incapacitated and required him to be transferred to long term care. Michael has faced the incredible strain of seeing his dearest love fight for his life, not knowing what the future will bring. In the course of 5 months of hospitalization this loving couple of 24 years has experienced more pain and difficulty than I could possibly summarize here. And to add to the challenges, Michael himself has just become ill, testing positive a few days ago for COVID-19. He is currently managing his symptoms at home, obviously unable to visit dear Ashley until he is well again and it is safe to do so.

REAL TALK= the average hospital stay in the US costs around $3,000 a night. That's not including medications, procedures, tests, surgeries, and all the other variables involved. Michael and Ashley would never want to impose or ask for help, but it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that even with health insurance the costs are overwhelming.

So as a community of friends, family, and loved ones we must come together to do our small part to help these two spectacular human beings during this time of crisis. We can each add a spark of love and hope to Ashley and Michael's lives by contributing to this fund for the medical bills and hopefully a bit for future expenses as Ashley fights to regain his strength and heal.

The initial fundraising goal for Ashley and Michael is $75,000. After reading the messages of love and care on Ashley's facebook page, I'd like to think we can shatter that and set a long term stretch goal of $150,000. Please help by donating if you can and/or sharing this GoFundMe widely.

Ashley and Michael, WE LOVE YOU...

XOXOXO