MTV star Ashley Cain and his wife, Safiyya Vorajee, are going through one of the toughest experiences in life: The loss of a child.
Their daughter, 8-month-old Azaylia, lost her 8-month battle with leukemia Sunday, Cain posted on Instagram.
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On Friday, Cain said that Azaylia had a seizure. “Her eyes rolled back, she stopped breathing and her body went as stiff as a board. We put her on oxygen straight away and called for the oncall nurses. After a few hours of close observation we managed to settle her. This has happened a few times now, but it never gets any easier,” he wrote.
Related: MTV Reality Star Shares Heartbreaking Update on Daughter with Leukemia
On April 12, the couple shared that Azaylia only had days to live after doctors found tumors in her brain. They had planned to try CAR T-cell therapy as a final effort, but due to the aggressiveness of the cancer, doctors told them it wouldn’t be possible. (CAR-T treatment is customized for each patient using their T cells, which are genetically modified to enhance their ability to recognize and attack cancer cells.)
"Last week, we had the bone marrow test and the lumber puncture and bloods taken to send to Singapore in the hope that they could create a CAR-T therapy to save Azaylia's life," the former soccer player said in an Instagram video. "Then, we had to have a CT scan on her head and the results came back the next day, saying that Azaylia's got two very big tumors … on her brain."
Related: ‘We Believe in You Princess’: MTV Star Ashley Cain Shares His Daughter’s Leukemia Battle
Azaylia had a traditional stem cell transplant in early January. Her fight with cancer began soon after her birth, Cain noted previously on Instagram: "She's had a tough, tough life. From eight weeks old she'd been in hospital having chemotherapy, operations, transplants," Cain wrote. "And I feel like for the last part of her life, I just want to take her home, see her like a baby and give her the best rest of her life that we can give her."
What is Leukemia?
Leukemia is a blood cancer that develops when the body produces large quantities of abnormal white blood cells. Because they're abnormal, they prevent the bone marrow from producing any other type of cell, namely red blood cells and platelets.
Dr. Nina Shah, a hematologist at University of California San Francisco, explains blood cancers in a simple way. "One cell got really selfish and decided that it needed to take up all the resources of everybody else, and in doing so, took up space and energy from the rest of the body."
"In general having a blood cancer means that your bone marrow is not functioning correctly," she continues. "And when your bone marrow doesn't function correctly it means that you can have something happen to you like anemia. Or you can have low platelets, which makes it possible for you to bleed easily. Or your immune system is not functioning correctly."
What is a Blood Cancer? How is it different?
Coping with Grief
Cain and Vorajee have leaned on others, like their social media community, for strength and support throughout their daughter’s cancer. Being vulnerable during the cancer journey as a parent or a person battling cancer, and sharing your experience with others is helpful both ways; it brings others to you, and brings you closer to them, too.
Cain has also alluded to his faith and his spirituality, repeatedly asking people to pray for Azalyia. For a parent, coping with a child's cancer death comes with unparalleled grief, and leaning on friends, spirituality, and resources like therapy, can be beneficial.
Camila Legaspi lost her mother to breast cancer when she was in high school. She tells SurvivorNet that therapy saved her life.
She told us that having someone there to simply talk things through with made a huge difference and really helped her to appreciate all the great things she still had in her life.
"Embrace the situation as best as you can, because the reality is … that it sucks," Legaspi said.
Legaspi recommends that anyone going through a similar situation and dealing with loss reach out for help if they need it it's OK to not be OK for awhile.
"Therapy saved my life," she said. "I was dealing with some really intense anxiety and depression at that point. It just changed my life because I was so drained by all the negativity that was going on. Going to a therapist helped me realize that there was still so much out there for me … that I still had my family, that I still had my siblings."
"Therapy Saved My Life": After Losing A Loved One, Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help
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