Stand by Ashley: A Selfless Friend in Need

Hey, my name is Tiffany Crowder. I set up this GoFundMe page for my best friend, Ashley King and her girls. Ashley has been a strong person for a very long time, and she has never been one to ask for anything; she always just figures it out. She keeps her struggles to herself and fights through it. She literally vents to me and goes on about her day.

For those who don't know Ashley, let me give you a little background on her. Ashley has always taken care of everyone else. She took care of her mother, who had M.S., up until her last breath. She also took care of her disabled sister, who suffers from C.P., up until she couldn't anymore. Her sister has had some very scary medical problems lately, and between Ashley and her aunt, they were going back and forth to Petersburg for a while. Ashley has opened her home to me and my son when my house burned down and never once asked for anything. She also opened her home to another friend of hers and both of her children when they were looking for another house. Ashley is always trying to help anyone and everyone in any way possible. That's just her.

In Sept of 2024, Ashley got assaulted pretty bad where the Commonwealth of VA picked up the charges and charged the guy with malicious wounding and kidnapping charges. Only her family and closest friends know anything about this. That event alone left Ashley out of work for about 4 or 5 months. She ended up losing both of her jobs. The girl was working two jobs to make ends meet while having rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. After her assault, she found out that the methotrexate, which is a form of chemo, wasn't working the way it needed to be, so they upped her dose and changed it from pill form to shot form. This makes her sick at times, and some hours are lost from her being sick. Ashley is thankful for her job; they work with her about everything. The job works perfectly with her kids' schedule also.

When Ashley was out of work, she had to cash in her retirement plan to cover her bills. Going from working two jobs bartending and serving to only working one office job has been a struggle and a major financial cut for her. I'm worried my friend is drowning and will never speak about it. Trying to do everything by herself, this girl will literally give her last and just figure it out. I'm asking anyone that can help, please help. I want to at least help raise enough money to cover some of her bills for 2 or 3 months so she can get out of this financial hole she is in. Stress isn't good for her health conditions, and they have plans to up her chemo, but literally, this girl canceled her doctor's appointments for tomorrow because she said, "I can't afford to miss work right now. I will be alright, and I will figure something out."

Ashley will be turning 40 on Sunday, and this is my gift to her to help her get back on her feet and not have to struggle so much. Also, to show her that sometimes it's okay to ask for help and to show her that she does have some friends and support in her corner, and she doesn't always have to carry all the load by herself. Anything is welcome and appreciated to the fullest.

Thank you,

Tiffany Crowder