MTV/Getty The Challenge logo. On the right, Dwayne Johnson at the premiere of "Jumanji: The Next Level" on December 09, 2019
Ashley Cain’s daughter Azaylia’s leukemia battle gripped the hearts of everyone who heard the story, with athletes and reality stars together sharing their love and support, especially in the last few days since Ashley revealed that his 8-month old daughter may only have days left to live.
A few days after sharing that news on April 8, The Challenge: War of the Worlds star Ashley posted on his Instagram a video of support from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. In the video, The Rock said he’d heard about Azaylia’s story and told Ashley, “You tell that little lion that I said, ‘Let’s go champ! Stay strong.'”
Here is the full video:
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Johnson, Who Is the Father of 3 Girls, Sent a Message of Support to Ashley & Told Him to ‘Stay Strong’
The Rock, 48, started his video message by saying, “I want you tell you, first of all, I’m sorry to hear about your beautiful daughter Azaylia. I hope I pronounced her name right.” He said he heard about Azaylia’s story from a friend who DM’ed him. Ashley has been very public about Azaylia’s battle since the diagnosis of a rare and aggressive form of leukemia in October when she was just two months old.
“Brother, I’m so sorry to hear this news,” Johnson said, “but I don’t have to tell you that your daughter’s strength is what strengthens you and all her loved ones around her and in that, she’s already had this incredible impact on the world already. Stay strong, brother.” The Jumanji star told Ashley “my heart breaks for you” and said once more that former footballer Ashley should tell his daughter that The Rock said, “Let’s go champ!”
Ashley shared the video on his Instagram with the caption, “I’m so proud of my little girl and so humbled by the impact she’s had on so many people around the world. From one of my [heroes] to another… Let’s Go Champ!”
Ashley Said They Had Exhausted All Their Treatment Options Following the Discovery of Tumors in Azaylia’s Brain
The Challenge star has been sharing updates about his daughter’s leukemia since her diagnosis at two months old, back in October 2020. On April 8, Ashley revealed the heartbreaking news that friends and followers had been dreading hearing, that tumors had been found in her brain, kidneys, liver, lungs and spleen.
Ashley also said a specialized treatment program in Singapore, their last viable option, was no longer possible since doctors could not create a CAR-T treatment for Azaylia’s extremely rare form of leukemia. At the time, he revealed that they’d just been told a week prior by consultants that Azaylia had “one, two days to live. And it could even be like that night.”
In an Instagram story on April 11, the War of the Worlds star revealed that they were returning home after rushing Azaylia to the hospital. He said she’d been “bleeding out from her nose” and because of the presence of tumors in her body and “lack of platelets in her body” to help with blood clotting, she could “bleed out from the inside.”
He said, “that’s no way for Azaylia to go,” so they rushed to the hospital on oxygen for a platelet transfusion. “Every day is a blessing,” he said, showing his sleeping daughter in his video. After announcing the devastating update on April 8, Ashley said his and his partner’s goal was to “make our baby as comfortable as possible. And we’re going to have as much fun as we can with her as possible.” In the heartbreaking update, he said, they would “Give her the best rest of her life that we can give her.”
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