EXCLUSIVE Safiyya Vorajee opens up on how she and former footballer Ashley Cain came through the agony of losing their baby girl Azaylia and are now working to help others
When tragic Azaylia died from leukaemia in April 2021, her parents Safiyya Vorajee, 34, and Ashley Cain, 31, were devastated. They have now separated but remain united by their charity work. Here, Safiyya shares her heartbreaking story…
Not knowing how to mark the first anniversary of losing her made me panic. I went to her resting place in the morning,The day before, Ashley ran an ultramarathon – 100 miles from Azaylia’s resting place in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, to Trafalgar Square in London – raising money for the charity foundation we set up in her name. I proudly cycled 55 miles of it myself.
We have a passion and a purpose with the foundation to continue keeping our word and do our daughter proud. “Having a child is something I’ve looked forward to my whole life,” he told me very early on – which made me love him even more. After two rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, by February 2021 we finally believed Azaylia would get to “ring the bell” at hospital, a milestone marking the end of cancer treatment. We then planned to fly to Singapore for specialist treatment. That February day, we woke up excited. I wanted us to go out as a family looking smart.
Recalling all these moments again for the book filled my heart, then dropped my heart, and I would stop, cry, and say to Ashley, “I can’t do this any more.” But I wanted Azaylia to look down and know that I have got that strength and be proud of me. Our priority became building the foundation. The only way to cope with our pain was knowing that we are helping other children and families. So many are struggling and there’s much to be done.