Help Ashley beat cancer!

Hello everyone. I’ve created this GoFundMe on behalf of my sister Ashley. If you have ever had the opportunity to meet her, you’d know that she always goes out of her way to help everyone and anyone. She works at an elementary school as a social worker and loves what she does and the kids she works with. She is also a wife and a mother of two incredible kids who would also give the shirt off their back to help someone. Her husband, Kyle, volunteers his time setting up and helping with events, fabricating and fixing anything needed on campus, and donating funds to the school from TACK Fabrication to support student needs. If you’ve ever been to Richardson, the big metal roadrunner out front that greets you was built and donated by Kyle.

I never thought we could ever be here but here we go…my sister Ashley Cass was diagnosed with aggressive triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer). This is a type of cancer that spreads quickly and aggressively. Her diagnosis blindsided everyone and has been incredibly difficult for her and the family. She is taking her diagnosis head-on and will be going through two different types of chemo over the next 9 months followed by surgery. While she will continue to work and support her students the best way she can, she must take off weekly to complete these treatments. While there is currently a treatment plan in place, there is still so much that is unknown due to the aggressive nature of triple-negative breast cancer. As treatment progresses, Ashley’s oncology team will continue to monitor and adjust as necessary.

While Kyle would love more than anything to be at every single appointment and be as present as he can, they also have normal household bills that need to be paid. I’m sure you can guess that treatment for this kind of cancer is costly, even with insurance. Ashley also has type one diabetes and the medical bills for that alone monthly are astronomical. We would love to make sure that she can stay on her insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor as some of the cancer treatments, including steroids being paired with chemotherapy, come with significantly negative side effects on her diabetes. Continuing to use her current diabetes management system will allow her and her medical team to monitor her sugars to ensure treatment is as smooth as possible.

Ashley and Kyle never ask for help. In fact, it took a lot of convincing for them to let me create this GoFundMe. My family and I want him to be able to take any time off that they need to help with the kids or Ashley, as she is up against a lot right now. It has been an incredibly stressful and emotional time for them all and we don’t want them to have to worry about finances or having to go to work just to make sure the bare minimum household bills are paid.

The amount we are trying to raise is dependent on her response to chemo, the type of needed surgery, the loss of income for the family, and other factors. We will update here regularly and transparently as to what treatments will be taken and how things may change as this is information confirmed with the experts. However the sooner we start, the quicker we can act and fund each cost as decided and take unnecessary stress off this incredible family.

Ashley is and always has been a fighter and will continue to do so with the support of her family and friends. Anything given, even sharing this story, is appreciated more than you know. This world needs more people like my sister and it would be significantly less bright without her.