ELEVEN MONTHS ON - ‘WE WANT HER TO SEE US SMILING'

GRIEVING FATHER ASHLEY CAIN OPENS UP TO OK! ABOUT THE PAIN OF LOSING HIS BELOVED DAUGHTER AZAYLIA THE WAYS IN WHICH HE’S COMMEMORATING HER SHORT LIFE AND WHERE HE FEELS MOST CONNECTED TO HER

- AYLA SOGUKSU

Ashley Cain’s whole world was turned upside down in April 2021, when his daughter Azaylia passed away at the age of eight months following an arduous battle with leukaemia.

She was just eight weeks old when she was first diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of the blood cancer and had been receiving care at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

After she went through multiple rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant, the family were told the devastating news that Azaylia’s leukaemia had returned.

In a final attempt to save her life, her devoted parents Ashley, 30, and Safiyya Vorajee, 33, launched a fundraiser to pay for specialist treatment in Singapore. Fans and celebrities alike rushed to support, and they reached their £1 million target in hours.

But days later, they were dealt a brutal blow as doctors said they believed Azaylia had just a few days to live due to finding tumours throughout her body. Instead of jumping on a plane to Singapore, they decided to stay and ensure her final days were filled with love and joy.

It’s now been 11 months since Azaylia passed away and 10 since the former footballer spoke at his daughter’s funeral, vowing, “To the top of every mountain, to the bottom of every valley. Along every road, across every ocean. North to south, east to west, corner to corner, pillar to post. I’ll take you there baby, let’s go champ.”

And he’s been true to his word. Ashley has already undertaken the extreme challenge of biking 1,040 miles for The Azaylia Foundation.