ASHLEY Cain has revealed the incredible world first challenge he’s taking on in memory of late daughter Azaylia.
The fundraiser and endurance athlete’s latest challenge comes after we revealed he’s going to be a dad again, two years after eight-month-old Azaylia died from a rare cancer.
Appearing on today’s Good Morning Britain, brave Ashley told Susanna Reid and Ed Balls he will tackle the distance between John o’Groats and Land’s End three times – some 2,400 miles – on foot, by kayak and finally by bike.
To make the challenge even more emotional, it will begin on the anniversary of Azaylia’s death in April.
Ashley explained why he is determined to continue his charity work for the Azaylia Foundation after his son is born, he said: “One thing I said is I cannot stop doing what I’m doing because that little girl is special to me, she’s more than a daughter. She’s somebody I look up to, to give me a reason to be the best person I can be. I love her. I miss her and I will always honour her.”
The former footballer, 33, broke down in tears when he spoke to The Sun of visiting his daughter’s grave to tell her that she was going to be a big sister.
Ashley said: “The first thing that I did was go down to Azaylia’s resting place to talk to her about it.
“I believe that was a huge part that has allowed me to feel positive about it. I feel like she was the main person that I needed to speak to and to get this thing off my chest.
“After going to her resting place and speaking to her about it, I just had a feeling in my heart and in my soul that she was happy for me.
“She was happy that she had a little brother and it is now just someone else for her to watch over and protect in this world.”
Ashley had been preparing to take on the Yukon 1000 — the world’s toughest survival endurance race from Canada, through the Arctic circle, to Alaska — when he received a message in July from a friend, who he was dating at the time.
“I got a call from a girl I was seeing who I have known since I was 18,” he said.
“We are friends and have met up on and off over the years.
“She is a really nice person and good to be around. I got a message saying that she needed to speak to me so I went to see her and she told me she was pregnant — I can’t put into words how that felt.
“The thought of potentially having another child after losing one was very difficult to understand for me.
“The Yukon gave me a lot of time and solitude to think and it made me understand that, even though this next part of my journey is going to be hard, I truly understood that every child that comes into this world is a blessing.”
Ashley said it was important for him to find out the sex of their baby ahead of their due date next month.
Stepping into the clinic, he said: “It was a nerve-racking time.
“I was walking into the unknown but I had not been into an environment like that since I lost Azaylia. It was hard but it was beautiful, and at that moment I thought, ‘I am ready to do this’.”
Of finding out the sex, he said: “In the back of my head I didn’t really know how to deal or cope with it if it was a little girl.
“It could have been fine but it could have been heartbreaking all over again and I wasn’t sure.
“The truth is that if it was a little girl, she would still be a blessing and I would still be over the moon and the best daddy — it would just be another bit of pain to navigate.
“Now it means I have a little girl and a little boy, which is perfect for me.
“Azaylia would have loved a little brother and this is now my chance to do what I was meant to do on this Earth.”
But Ashley’s strength was tested again when the couple discovered at the 20-week scan that their baby has a potential heart defect.
He said: “They couldn’t find the connection between one of the valves and the heart so it was another very difficult time for me.
“I had already been through a really tough journey with Azaylia. I had already lost a child and I was worried and scared it could happen again.”
He continued: “He has got to go for a scan as soon as he is born to make sure and double check.
“I am saying my prayers, believing positive things and getting myself in the right mindframe either way to be there for her and my son.”
