Ashley Oakley

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

Oakley Avalos continues her unexpected fight against B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia — but this week, she’s doing it from the comfort of home, surrounded by the family who has been by the 6-year-old's side since day one.

Her parents, Bethany and Chad Avalos, said in an update on Wednesday, Aug. 13, that Oakley’s levels held steady enough for doctors at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to approve her release after weeks of treatment. 

It’s a big step forward in a battle that began unexpectedly, when the little girl — known for her love of all things pink, unicorns, axolotls — was given a diagnosis her family never saw coming.

“One week she was twirling in her unicorn dress and playing with her siblings — Eli (8), Khodi (4), and our dog River — and now she’s fighting for her life,” her parents wrote on a GoFundMe created to help cover the mounting costs of medical bills, travel, lodging, and meals.

Ashley Oakley

Ashley Oakley

GoFundMe

Doctors started Oakley on a 30-day induction chemotherapy regimen, the first phase of what could be two to three years of in-home and outpatient care. 

During that time, Child Life Services specialists worked closely with Oakley and her siblings to help them understand the diagnosis and treatment process. 

Using candy to make “blood soup,” they explained red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, platelets, and how cancer cells invade and replicate.

GoFundMe

“We then explained how the treatment is going to kill the bad cells, but good cells (like hair) may also get attacked in the process,” the family shared. “Oakley is super excited to be getting a pink hair wig!!”

Her parents say she found moments of joy even in her final days at the hospital. 

She spent time outside soaking up the sunshine, visited the hospital’s koi pond — a peaceful little sanctuary — and discovered the EZY Roller, a ride-on toy reserved for cancer patients that she could enjoy safely despite low platelets, her parents said.

Now home, Oakley will continue to travel weekly for chemotherapy treatments until the next major milestone on Friday, Aug. 29 — a bone marrow biopsy that will show how well she’s responding to treatment and help doctors decide the next steps in her care plan.

Friends, neighbors, and church members have rallied behind the Avalos family, offering both financial and spiritual support. “They need our support — financially and through prayer,” Peggy Smith wrote in a tribute. 

Blue Creek Baptist Church shared that the family has been “faithful servants of Christ for many years,” asking followers to “please ask Jesus to heal Oakley according to His will.”

As of Wednesday, a GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $18,000 toward its $27,000 goal. Donations can be made here.

“Your kindness and support mean more than words can express,” the family wrote. “Let’s come together to lift this family up with love, compassion, and practical support during one of the most difficult times in their lives.”