Hi friends!

Ashley Reynolds is a wife, mother, daughter-in-law, and friend. She pours her heart and soul into her family, and still makes time for her friends. She is someone who makes EVERYTHING look easy.

She is a full-time stay at home mom, while her husband Chad provides outside the home. Ashley is the full-time caretaker of she and Chad’s son Garrett, who is 13, and their daughter Evie, who is 2. Their sweet teen, Garrett, is on the autism spectrum, and does wonderful with stability, routine, and having his people around him. That heavily relies on Ashley, and she is his caretaker through the state, which she fortunately is paid to do. Their sweet girl Evie is an IVF baby, as the couple has suffered secondary infertility and had several miscarriages, resulting in a go round with IVF that thankfully blessed them with their final piece of their family.

Ashley has a wonderful family and group of friends around her, but unfortunately lost both of her parents at a very young age. Chad’s parents, Albert and Violet, and his brother, Joseph and his fiancée Megan, have filled so much of the missing family pieces for her over time.

Through any and all of the significant losses and trauma she’s suffered, Ashley remains positive, empathetic, selfless, and able to manage everything life has ever thrown at her. She’s a warrior, a champion in life, and incredibly strong. As if the challenges she’s already faced in this life aren’t enough, she has recently been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

She started this process with a stay in the hospital when she was in pain and could not figure out what was wrong, where she learned she had Crohn’s Disease. That prompted additional bloodwork weeks after the initial discharge, where she learned several of her levels were even worse than when discharged from her previous hospital stay. The night of her bloodwork, she was airlifted to Louisville and told that she likely had some form of leukemia based on her white blood cell count, and the next day, she’d have a bone marrow biopsy. She was officially diagnosed on the 30th, and found out later that week that the type was an extremely aggressive form of leukemia, AML.

She got to go home and spend a couple nights with the kids, but has now been admitted to a hospital in Indianapolis to undergo a 30-day stay for aggressive chemotherapy. After that, she will need a bone marrow transplant, requiring another 30 day stay. Finally, she will need to live within 30 miles of the transplant hospital for 100 days following the transplant.

During all this time, Chad’s parents and brother and fiancée are going to help as much as possible with the kids so that Chad can work and spend time with Ashley, splitting time between the two. His employer has been incredibly understanding, allowing him to telework as needed so that he doesn’t lose pay, while still being supportive.

While the biggest concern for Ashley is missing her babies, missing out on the holidays with her family, and the adjustment for both kids and especially Garrett, this also means she is losing out on her state funding to be Garrett’s caretaker, so a source of income for them during a time of excess financial need and strain. They are still unsure how they will find somewhere Ashley can live for the 100 days she is required to live near the transplant hospital, not to mention the nights driving and eating on the road, the medical bills, paid help for the kids if and when needed, and so many things they can’t even fathom yet.

This GoFundMe is being set up for just that. A future stay near Indy in temporary housing, supplement lost income, unexpected expenses, to allow Chad to take leave as needed, and more. If anyone has had a rough go of things and kept a smile, kept digging, and persevered, it’s Ashley and this family. They also fully supported themselves through IVF, without asking for a bit of financial help during that time. That in itself is a testament to the type of people they are and that this time, they are just going to need the help and support both emotionally and financially. If you’re able and willing, any amount is graciously accepted and appreciated as they navigate this time.