Ashley Cain has revealed 80,000 people became stem cell donors 48 hours after he appealed for the public’s help amid his daughter Azaylia’s leukaemia battle.
The Ex On The Beach star, 29, spoke on Tuesday about how grateful he is to those who signed up to charities DKMS and Anthony Nolan to help his four-month-old, and others like her, as they fight cancer.
Saying that he was ‘forever grateful’ to the members of the public who had ordered test kits to be added to the stem cell register, Ashley claimed the charities usually get 30-40,000 people registering in a single year.
Great news: EOTB’s Ashley Cain revealed on Tuesday 80,000 people signed up to become stem cell donors 48 HOURS after appealing for help amid baby girl Azaylia’s leukaemia battle
Speaking to The Sun, he explained: ‘When Azaylia needed a donor the amount of people who came together straight away to order test kits, do the tests and then send them back, was crazy.
‘The DKMS and Anthony Nolan probably get around 30,000 to 40,000 registers a year. We got 80,000 people in a single weekend.
‘It’s now topping 100,000. And not only are they helping Azaylia, they are helping the thousands of people who also need donors.’
Ashley, who made his appeal to find a donor on social media, said he thought it was ‘beautiful’ how people could come together for a good cause in spite of negativity that is often prevalent online.
Good cause: Ashley said he was grateful to those who signed up to charities DKMS and Anthony Nolan to help his four-month-old, and others like her, as they fight cancer
Grateful: Speaking about the appeal, Ashley added: ‘It’s now topping 100,000. And not only are they helping Azaylia, they are helping the thousands of people who also need donors’
Reflecting on Azaylia’s health battle, he explained that when they discovered she was diagnosed with leukaemia she had a soaring white cell count of 200, and also had tumours on her lungs, kidneys, and stomach.
He explained that a normal person’s white cell count is five, while adults who are suffering from the blood cancer tend to have a white cell count of 40, so it was alarming that Azalyia’s was so high.
Ashley explained that being told the news left him a ‘broken man’, and he claimed it was an ‘absolute miracle’ that she has been able to fight the cancer.
It comes after Ashley said the second round of chemotherapy is ‘really starting to take its toll’ on his Azaylia as she battles the rare form of leukaemia.
Struggle: It comes after Ashley said the second round of chemotherapy is ‘really starting to take its toll’ on his baby daughter as she battles her rare form of leukaemia
Ashley updated fans on Instagram earlier this month on how Azaylia was doing and said she was becoming ‘more uncomfortable and unsettled by the day’.
He said: ‘So usually my little pumpkin loves sleeping through the night but last night what was going on? We were up at 2am, 4.30 am and 6.30 this morning.
‘She’s going through a tough time at the moment. She’s sick, feeling pain and feeling uncomfortable.
‘The chemo is really starting to kick in now and bring her down. But when we go down, we come back up, don’t we? Let’s go champ’.
Tough: Ashley updated fans on Instagram earlier this month on how Azaylia was doing and said she was becoming ‘more uncomfortable and unsettled by the day’
Ashley, who welcomed Azaylia in August with his girlfriend Safiyya Vorajee, later shared a snap of himself cuddling his daughter after giving her a nice bath.
He wrote: ‘This 2nd round of chemo is really starting to take its toll on Azaylia as she is becoming more uncomfortable and unsettled by the day.
‘So bath time is not only beneficial to keep her clean to prevent infection, but a great chance for her to splash around, soak and relax in the warm water.
‘Parents if you want to get 5 minutes peace and quiet… Give your baby a nice bath, swaddle them so they stay warm & cosy afterwards and watch them fade away into a nice deep sleep.’
Ashley said: ‘The chemo is really starting to kick in now and bring her down. But when we go down, we come back up, don’t we? Let’s go champ’