Reality star raises over $1 million in just 16 hours for stricken baby
A social media influencer has raised over £1m (AUD$1.8m) in less than a day to help his daughter get life-saving treatment for leukaemia.
Ashley Cain, who appeared on the MTV series Ex on the Beach, wrote on Instagram on Saturday that he and his partner Safiyya Vorajee, also an influencer, "are on our knees asking for help" after their seven-month-old, Azaylia, had a leukaemia relapse.
The baby requires a year-long CAR-T therapy, plus a haplo transplant, for the best chance of survival, Cain wrote.
It only took 16 hours after the post went up for Cain to hit the £1m target after more than 83,000 people donated.
The 30-year-old said: “After long discussions and a global outreach for treatment, our consultants along with consultants from around the world have come to the conclusion that the ONLY option to save a minimum period of 1 year.
“Because of the aggressiveness of Azaylia’s disease, we don’t have time on our side and we may have to fly out within a matter of weeks. Azaylia is such a strong little girl who has fought through every near impossible battle so far and she has done it all with love in her heart and a smile on her face!”
Cain and Vorajee welcomed Azaylia in August, and learned their baby was suffering from leukemia at eight weeks old.
“Azaylia had a frighteningly high leukemia count plus tumours in her spleen, stomach, lungs and kidneys which put her in critical condition and resulted in her being put into intensive care,” Cain wrote on the fundraising page.
“The doctors warned us that there was a high probability that she wouldn’t survive past the first round of chemotherapy due to the aggressiveness and rareness of her disease combined with her age.”
The couple, who have already surpassed their fundraising target, said they will donate any extra money to “other children and their families in the same situation”.