California pregnant mother refuses chemotherapy to save baby girl
WILDOMAR, Calif. -- For Ashley and Jonathan Caughey, each day they are given is a gift. The 25-year-old newlyweds face an uncertain future as Ashley battles terminal bone cancer.
"You just take it day by day, and that's really all you can do," Ashley said.
The new mother was diagnosed while she was pregnant with her infant daughter Paisley.
When doctors told her she had to choose between chemotherapy or her unborn baby, she chose her child.
"It wasn't like I was giving up. I wasn't not gonna do chemo at all. It was until my baby's out safe, you know, I'm not doing chemo," Ashley said.
Ashley began radiation, but after Paisley was born, she learned the cancer in her leg had spread throughout her body. Despite the diagnosis, they refuse to give up.
"I don't like to sit on negativity 'cause this is gonna make things harder," Jonathan said. "There's always hope. There's always a miracle."
The couple moved up their wedding. Ashley's 6-year-old son Braiden walked her down the aisle. Many of the families' memories were captured on camera.
"I love that my kids are actually going to see me fighting instead of it being like, you know, 'Your mom was this. Your mom was that. Your mom fought as hard as she could.' They're actually going to see my love for them. Paisley is going to know how much I love her," Ashley said.
Despite the epic fight, Ashley and Jonathan say when they look at Paisley they know it was all worth it.
"She just makes my heart melt every single time I look at her or pick her up or think about her," Jonathan said. "She's definitely a little angel, that's for sure."
"I wouldn't change anything at all," Ashley said. "The most beautiful little girl, I look at her, and I'm just like, 'Yep, I did the right thing.'"
Doctors have given Ashley just months to live. A page has been set up to help the Caughey family. For more information, visit https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/wl34.
