Ashley Hallford is a mama, a wife and a warrior.
Today, the 35-year-old mother of three is happy, healthy and living life with her beautiful tribe. But 10 years ago, Ashley’s life looked much different.
Ashley Hallford
A young wife, Ashley was ecstatic to learn that she and her husband, David, were expecting their first child. The Georgia couple was overwhelmed with joy, and could not wait to meet their little blessing.
Just before getting pregnant, Ashley had discovered a knot in the back of her head. It wasn’t bothersome, and she really had no reason to think about it, so Ashley just “wrote it off as a lymph node.”
But as she progressed through her pregnancy, the knot became painful, and the symptoms worsened. Joy quickly turned to worry as the Hallfords learned that the knot was not only serious, but also cancerous.
“Pathologists from all over the country studied the lump,” Ashley explained. “They all agreed that it was a rare and very aggressive, possibly hormonally fueled, cancer. But nobody could diagnose it.”
Ashley was induced early at just 33 weeks so that she could begin treatments.
God worked a miracle.
“We were preparing for our son to spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit. But when he was born, he didn’t have to. He got to go home two days later. The NICU doctor came in to see us, and he said that never in his career had he seen a 33-week term baby not go to the NICU, even for evaluation. That was just a miracle.”
Just four days after giving birth to her son, Ashley was rolled into surgery. Doctors removed the mass from her head and performed tests on it to determine what they were dealing with.
YouTube
Five weeks later, after what must have seemed like a lifetime of waiting, test results concluded that the cancer had spread. Ashley’s brain, both of her lungs, as well as her liver showed traces of the killer. Doctors diagnosed her with stage 4 cancer.
They performed a full-body scan and learned of cancerous spots throughout her body. Experts said that her brain tumor was inoperable, and they were quickly running out of time.
“At that point, they stopped trying to figure out what it was, saying, ‘We need to start treating her, or she’s gonna die.’”
Over the course of six weeks, Ashley’s poor body took on the maximum lifetime dosage of radiation. But the treatments weren’t working, and the tumors continued to progress.
YouTube
She had nowhere left to turn, but to God.
Ashley and David’s church was staying updated on her condition and members were praying for them constantly. In February of 2008, the congregation joined in prayerful force and fasted for the entire month, desperately seeking another miracle from God.
She continued chemo treatments through July, and Ashley knew she was in this with the Lord, and no medical professional would be able to save her now.
YouTube
Doctors encouraged the family to start documenting everything and make as many memories as they could, because they didn’t know how much time Ashley had left.
“So that’s what we did,” Ashley says. “That’s where we were at the end of July. They didn’t even know what they were battling, so there would be no other options.”
Ashley went into her scans, preparing her heart for the numbered days she had ahead.
YouTube
Cue miracle #2:
“They said, ‘The radiologist report shows no evidence of disease present,’“ she recalls. “I was so dumbfounded by what she said that I was like, ‘What does that mean?’ She said, ‘It means you’re in remission.’”
Ashley’s oncologist, Dr. Debra Miller, admittedly didn’t believe the young mom could possibly ever survive it saying, “It’s nothing short of miraculous.”
In July, Ashley will have been in remission for nine years.
“I credit my recovery to God, 100 percent.”
And the miracles didn’t stop there. Cancer treatments can do a real number on a woman’s body. A few years later, fertility doctors told Ashley she was in full-blown menopause, and another biological child was completely out of the question.
Luke 1:37, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Boy isn’t that the truth! Ashley and David welcomed a beautiful little girl in 2013, and another little boy in January 2017.
David Hallford
Ashley now shares her story with people all over the country. Her desire is to spread hope.
“When I speak at churches, I speak about the fear. The fear and uncertainty, especially not knowing what I had. It’s scary.” She added, “I want to give people the strength to go on—even when it comes to infertility. And if that’s what I could do in life, I would die happy one day.”
