A benefit is being held for 21-year-old Ashley Whitlow, elementary education junior, who is currently fighting leukemia for the second time.
The benefit will be held on Saturday, April 10, from 7 p.m. to midnight at Kye’s II in Jeffersonville.
The benefit for the Ashley Whitlow Foundation is being planned by Whitlow’s co-workers from Tranz4mationz Salon. Whitlow has been working at the salon as a receptionist since April 2008.
“All of us at the salon got together and decided we wanted to do something to help Ashley and her family,” Amber Miller, receptionist and co-worker of Whitlow, said.
“We started thinking about what we could do and someone came up with the idea of a benefit,” she said.
Whitlow was first diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in August 2008.
After undergoing induction chemotherapy and two consolidation chemotherapy treatments, Whitlow was in complete remission.
On Jan. 18, Whitlow received the news she had relapsed, and her cancer had returned after 16 months of remission.
She recently underwent chemotherapy at Norton’s Hospital every 12 hours for two hours each treatment, for six days.
“A difficulty for Ashley is just being confined to the hospital,” Brandon Fortson, secondary education major and Whitlow’s fiancé, said. “After her first round of cancer, she felt like she had gotten her life back on track and then it was upended again a month ago,” he said.
The next step to Whitlow’s recovery must be taken in Houston with a bone-marrow transplant.
“Ashley will be going to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to have a bone marrow transplant to make sure the cancer won’t come back anymore,” Brittany Schwinn, Whitlow’s sister, said.
Whitlow will be leaving for Houston on Saturday, Feb. 27, in order to meet with the doctors at MD Anderson on March 1.
“Ashley will go to Houston and get a consolidation round of chemotherapy,” Schwinn said.
“During this time, they will be finding a bone marrow donor,” she said.
After the transplant occurs, Whitlow will have to stay in Houston for 100 days in order for the hospital to monitor her progress.
“This is the second time Ashley has been battling Leukemia and the medical bills have already been piling up,” Miller said.
“Now Ashley and her mom have to move to Houston for four to five months, so this benefit is being planned to help the family financially.”
Kye’s II is donating the venue for the benefit, and the catering is being donated by Buckets.
There will be a minimum $10 charge to get into the benefit.
The night of the event, there will be live bands, cash bar, food, testimonies from Leukemia survivors, door prizes and a silent auction.
“All items being auctioned off or given as door prizes are being donated by businesses and companies,” Miller said.
“All of the money made the night of the benefit will be placed straight into the Ashley Whitlow Foundation for Ashley and her family to help with the financial hardships.”
Items already donated for the auction include Derby Dinner Playhouse tickets, a basketball signed by Rick Pitino and a one-week stay in a condo from the Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Fla.
“We are asking for monetary donations, items and baskets for the auction,” Miller said.
Whitlow has been a student at IU Southeast since fall 2007 as an elementary education major.
“She was enrolled this semester,” Schwinn said, “but she had to drop her classes the second week when the cancer was found.”
As Whitlow undergoes a bone marrow transplant, she will be separated from her family, friends, fiancé and her 3-year-old daughter Brianne.
“Brianne and Ashley have a special mother-daughter bond that unfortunately I can’t fill,” Fortson said.
“The hardest part for Ashley has not been seeing Bri, because she misses her so much.”
“Ashley is a great mother,” Schwinn said. “She would do anything for Bri, and not seeing her every day is going to be very hard for her.”
After Whitlow’s transplant is complete and she is allowed visitors, the family plans to take Brianne down to Houston to visit her mother.
“Ashley is a fighter,” Schwinn said. “She is very tough and she doesn’t give up.”
The benefit is being planned to help the Whitlow family with the expenses that come with having a bone marrow transplant.
“This process has been financially rough on our parents,” Schwinn said. “The benefit was a really nice and thoughtful idea for people to think about how this is affecting not only Ashley but also our family.”
Fortson said Whitlow is the toughest person he knows.
“She has never given up despite what doctors or anyone else has told her,” Fortson said.
Miller said that all information on the benefit is available at Tranz4mations Salon and also on Facebook as “Benefit for Ashley Whitlow Foundation.”
“Ashley’s faith has been the biggest motivation throughout this whole thing and I know mine has grown stronger, as well,” Fortson said. “If anyone wants to know what tough is, just look at her.”
By NIKOLETTE LANGDON
Staff Writer
nlangdon@umail.iu.edu