Footballer Ashley Cain has been offering hope and solace to parents of a little girl battling the cancer that claimed the life of his own precious daughter.
Reality star Ashley and girlfriend Safiyya Vorajee have been supporting dozens of sick children’s families since the death of their baby girl.
Beloved Azaylia died last April after a courageous fight against the blood cancer acute myeloid leukaemia.
The ex-Coventry City winger and his partner have now struck up a special friendship with the family of five-year-old Esha Nadeswaran, who has spent eight months fighting the same disease at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Her dad Rishya, 45, of Gants Hill, North East London, said: “Esha is our absolute hero and she is incredible. With our journey, it is like a marathon with no finish. We don’t know when it is going to end and so we can’t even pace ourselves.
“There have been days where I’ve gone to bed, crawled up and cried alone. But no matter how bad a day you are having and how much you hurt inside, Ashley reminded me you must stay positive and happy for your child.
“He told me not to think too far ahead and do whatever I needed to do to support Esha. It’s horrible to be told your child has cancer.
“Listening to Ashley, and how vulnerable he felt, really struck a chord. Our chat has kept me going.”
Former Ex On The Beach star Ashley, 31, and Safiyya, 34, were devastated to lose Azaylia when she was just eight months old.
She had been given stem cell treatment, which involves replacing damaged cells with healthy ones from a blood-match donor.
Ashley said Azaylia had the heart of a lion and he was given precious extra months with her after 100,000 people registered to be a donor.
The couple got involved in Esha’s battle after Rishya and wife Kavitha, 41, appealed to members of the South Asian community to volunteer to be stem cell donors.
Esha has been in hospital since last May. She has had gruelling chemo and, in October, an emergency stem cell transplant. With her parents at her bedside, constant care includes regular platelet and red blood cell transfusions.
Rishya recalls the day they received the diagnosis. He says: “She had been having tummy issues. Doctors ran tests and we were told we’d receive the results in a fortnight. Two hours after returning home, they rang and we knew something was badly wrong. We rushed back and were told she had an acute form of leukaemia. It has been utterly heartbreaking.”
Esha’s Sri Lankan heritage meant it was hard to find a donor match and the family launched a social media campaign. Safiyya then reached out.
Rishya says: “I arranged a Zoom chat with Safiyya and Ashley and I spoke father to father about what it feels like to be told your child has cancer. It was very emotional.”
Ashley and Safiyya also recorded a video message on Esha’s birthday.
Rishya, who works in banking, says: “Esha really liked it. She is such a caring little girl and the way she has bounced back to defy doctors is something of a miracle.
“She is always the one who goes from room to room cheering up the other children.”
Rishya and his family now have 10,000 Instagram followers. But what they haven’t shared is their sacrifices to give her the best possible chance of survival.
Forming a Covid bubble, Rishya and his wife have had to live apart from elder daughter Ria, 10, who is with her grandparents.
They see her once a week at arm’s length and were apart at Christmas and on both girls’ birthdays. “It’s been really tough,” says Rishya. “My wife and I take it in turns to stay with Esha. The Young Lives vs Cancer charity has kindly been able to offer accommodation for the other to stay nearby.
“We have been locked in this bubble for months now and it’s exhausting.”
Ashley and Safiyya have helped dozens of parents. They set up a foundation raising money for treatment that may not be available on the NHS.
He says: “No matter how painful it is, our mission is to really help and battle for these kids fighting cancer.
“We speak to parents privately and try to guide them through the experience. We know first hand the stress and trauma parents have to go through.
“Esha’s dad and I talked about appreciating every single moment, making sure your child thinks there’s nothing wrong. You need to stay positive and be the best you can be.
“The pain of losing Azaylia is with us every minute. We go to her resting place every day and I want to hold this pain forever to use it effectively to help other children have a better chance.”
Safiyya adds: “So many children are suffering and we want to help.”
The couple are planning a fundraising cycling event in June in conjunction with the Tour of Cambridgeshire.
Ashley says: “We’d like everyone to wear orange and create a sea of orange so that Azalyia can look down from heaven and see what an amazing effect she has had on this world.”
To join the cycle event, go to cycleforazaylia.com. Get updates on Esha here.
Deadly illness is rare in young kids
Esha has the illness that cost Azaylia her life – acute myeloid leukaemia, cancer of the white blood cells.
It starts in the bone marrow and spreads to the bloodstream and is very rare in young children.
The risk increases with age and it is most common in people aged over 75.
Acute leukaemia means it progresses quickly and chemotherapy is the main treatment, killing off as many unhealthy cells as possible and reducing the risk of the patient suffering a relapse.
Stem cell therapy involves removing a person’s unhealthy cells and replacing them with healthy ones from a donor.
The new cells travel in the blood of the patient to the bone marrow, where they attach and grow.
