Christmas comes early for 2-year-old Ashland cancer patient
ASHLAND, VA (WWBT) - Christmas is coming early for a young 2-year-old Ashland girl. She has stage 3 cancer, and when Richmonders heard about the family, they joined forces to create what her mom is now calling a "Christmas Miracle."
"The doctors just sat there while I cried for like 30 minutes, and it was really hard," said Kelsey Mawyer recalling the she learned her 2-year-old Ariana had Stage 3 Lymphoblastic T-cell Lymphoma. "She spent 35 days in the hospital, and I ended up having to quit my job."
Kelsey went back to live with family and focus solely on Ariana's healthcare needs, but when the folks at Marine Corps Toys for Tots heard about the adorable sisters, they teamed up with the Woody Foundation to provide toys for Ariana and her 4-year-old sister Amaya.
"When they brought in all the stuff, I realized I couldn't fit it," said Mawyer. "I had to come back the next day with my mom's bigger vehicle to fit all the toys."
The Woody Foundation didn't stop with just Ariana. Christopher Woody continued an eight-year tradition of donating toys to more than 400 families. He says this one was personal.
"I donated my kidney three years ago. That made me change the way I looked at life," said Woody. "She's just so happy."
Mawyer says this all amounts to a Christmas miracle.
"You were saying this has literally saved Christmas?" we asked.
"Yes it has," said Mawyer. "I don't think we would have been able to afford it."
She says there is an 80 percent cure rate for this type of cancer. Doctors say Ariana could be cured by 2018.
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