{"id":33256,"date":"2025-11-08T19:54:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T19:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/33256\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T19:54:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T19:54:14","slug":"staten-island-family-seeks-support-after-toddlers-devastating-leukemia-diagnosis-on-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/33256\/","title":{"rendered":"Staten Island family seeks support after toddler\u2019s devastating leukemia diagnosis on Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A GoFundMe<\/a> campaign has been started for Lilith \u201cLily\u201d Ashby, 2, the brave only child of Loriann and Charlie Ashby who is facing the fight of her life.<\/p>\n

On Halloween, while other children were trick-or-treating and enjoying time with their family, little Lily, who lives in Great Kills with her parents, received a devastating diagnosis \u2014 leukemia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis all started in early October,\u201d Charlie said. \u201cWe were trying to figure out a cough Lily had for about a month. Her first doctor suspected whooping cough and prescribed antibiotics, and for a while, it seemed to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when the cough came back, she developed a high fever and started shivering. We took her to a hospital in Pennsylvania near my mother-in-law\u2019s house \u2014 Lehigh Valley Children\u2019s Emergency Room \u2014 and the staff there were absolutely incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

After an X-ray was taken, Lily was thought to have croup. Following treatment, her numbers improved, and she was sent home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Halloween night came,\u201d Charlie continued. \u201cShe had a fever of 104 and was shaking again. This time, when we brought her to the hospital, we asked them to run bloodwork \u2014 the only test that hadn\u2019t been done yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first results came back so unusual that they thought it might be a mistake, so they ran it again. When the second test showed the same thing, we knew something was really wrong. Her white blood cell count was 470,000. Shortly after that, they diagnosed her with leukemia. We were devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CourtesyLily is pictured with her parents Loriann and Charlie Ashby in July 2025.(Courtesy Loriann Ashby)<\/p>\n

Immediately following were seemingly endless hospital visits, uncertainty, and unwavering hope for the little Staten Islander.<\/p>\n

\u201cLily is our double rainbow miracle baby,\u201d Loriann said, explaining she experienced two pregnancy losses before Lily\u2019s birth. \u201cBefore Lily, I was told we had a very slim chance of conceiving. But she defeated the odds. She has always been a fighter, and we know she will face this battle with the same courage.\u201d<\/p>\n

That fighting spirit is being tested once again as Lily, who turns 3 next month, begins treatment for leukemia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe received the diagnosis that turned our world upside down,\u201d the family said in a statement. \u201cThe road ahead includes ongoing treatments, long hospital stays, and moments of uncertainty. Yet we believe the resilience that brought Lily into our lives will carry her through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loriann is pregnant, due with her second child on Feb. 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to lie \u2014 it\u2019s hard,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m definitely neglecting myself trying to make sure she\u2019s okay. I\u2019m taking things day by day, but it gets overwhelming at times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie said he has been inspired by his daughter\u2019s strength. \u201cI\u2019m so proud of my little girl,\u201d he said. \u201cSo all things considered, Lily has been such an amazing fighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amount of testing, procedures, and medication she\u2019s been through this past week would be difficult even for an adult, but she\u2019s stayed so positive through it all. Just yesterday, she had her Mediport put in for chemo, which was about an hour-and-a-half surgery. Today, although groggy, she\u2019s eating, laughing, and making sure we know what she wants to watch on TV. She is so brave, and I am so proud of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ashbys say they are preparing for a long road ahead, but remain hopeful for brighter days \u2014 especially with another baby on the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next couple of years are going to be very rough for all of us,\u201d Charlie said. \u201cBut I know in the end it\u2019s all going to be worth it so we can grow together as a family \u2014 and so Lily can be a big sister.”<\/p>\n

The Ashbys said they hope to offset the growing costs of treatment, travel, and time away from work with the generosity of donors to the GoFundMe campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, it will help ease the growing burden of medical expenses, time away from work, travel for treatments, and the countless other costs that come with this journey,\u201d Loriann said. \u201cEvery dollar helps us focus on what matters most \u2014 helping Lily heal and keeping our family strong beside her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want nothing more than for her to be healthy, strong, and ready to welcome her baby sister with open arms,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy\u201cOur family and friends have been an amazing village during this tough journey. Our greatest wish is for Lily to become cancer-free and to make this a thing of the past. We just want her happy, healthy, and thriving,” said Lily’s mother Loriann.(Courtesy Loriann Ashby)<\/p>\n

Charlie also expressed gratitude for the pediatric team at Northwell University Hospital North, who have gone the extra mile in caring for Lily.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff there have been absolutely tremendous,\u201d he said. \u201cOne instance that stood out was when Lily was in the pediatric ICU and had to have her IV dressings changed \u2014 something that can be uncomfortable even for adults. The doctors and nurses sang Disney songs to her to keep her calm, and she even sang along.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother amazing gesture was when we got back to her room after surgery and found art on the wall that said, \u2018You are amazing, Lilith!\u2019 That really made an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daily life for the Ashbys now revolves around Lily\u2019s care. Loriann, a dog walker, and Charlie, who builds scenery for film and television, said their schedules have shifted to focus on their daughter\u2019s treatment and well-being.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in the midst of everything, Lily is still a bright, curious child,\u201d Loriann said. \u201cShe loves visiting Pirate Park and Wolfe\u2019s Pond Park. She\u2019s a social butterfly who loves playing with other kids and exploring.\u201d<\/p>\n

The family has found comfort in the support of friends, loved ones, and the kindness of strangers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur family and friends have been an amazing village during this tough journey,\u201d Loriann said. \u201cOur greatest wish is for Lily to become cancer-free and to make this a thing of the past. We just want her happy, healthy, and thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CourtesyLoriann, pictured here with Charlie and Lily, is pregnant, due with her second child on Feb. 3. (Courtesy Loriann Ashby)<\/p>\n

For now, the deep bond Loriann shares with Lily is unbreakable.<\/p>\n

\u201cLily is definitely a mommy\u2019s girl,\u201d Loriann said. \u201cI was told there was a slim chance I would be able to conceive, but I never gave up. I had two losses prior to Lily, and I know she was the same soul trying to get back to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cLily is the piece my heart had been waiting for. When she came, the storms quieted, the heartache dissolved, and love began to grow where loss once lived. My love for my daughter overflows. It fills every corner of my heart and spills into everything I do. My love for her is infinite.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A GoFundMe campaign has been started for Lilith \u201cLily\u201d Ashby, 2, the brave only…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-33256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}