Temecula Valley Charter Student Battling Leukemia Named ‘Honored Hero’

News release:

Ashe Valadez, a 6-year-old Winchester boy who will enter second grade at Temecula Valley Charter School in the fall, has been named an Honored Hero for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) annual Light The Night® Walk on Friday, Nov. 8 at Petco Park in San Diego.

Ashe, diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, will be honored at the 15th annual two-mile walk that brings together thousands of individuals to raise funds for blood cancer research and patient services.

“When Ashe was diagnosed with Leukemia last year, it was a brutal shock to our world. He didn’t understand the severity of his condition, but he carried on as only a child could. Until you’ve been around enough of these children fighting through their life-threatening conditions, you can’t begin to understand how well they carry on. It’s truly inspiring and Ashe is our inspiration,” said Ashe’s father, Antonio Valadez.

“This is our second year participating in the Walk and our goal is to get family, friends, community members, classmates and complete strangers to participate on team Ashe’s Hidden Mickeys or to donate in any way to our fundraising efforts. The funds raised are crucial for lifesaving research and patient services.”

Up until mid-January 2012, Ashe was an ordinary 5-year-old, adventurous boy who loved playing computer games, spending time with his older brother and sister, hiking to find geocaches, visiting the library, and spending time at Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Safari Park.

On Jan. 21, 2012, Ashe woke up with a temperature, cough and appeared weak. While his parents kept a close eye on him and provided fluids and rest, his temperature was still elevated and there wasn’t much improvement. The next day, Ashe’s symptoms began to worsen and he was taken to the emergency room. The doctors returned with his blood results and indicated that his numbers were extremely low and Rady Children’s Hospital was sending a helicopter to transport him to its facility immediately.

That evening marked the first of 29 days spent at Rady’s. It was an extremely difficult time filled with hope, fear, pain, joy and love, but Ashe left in remission with still three and a half years of chemotherapy left to leave his body clean of the leukemia.

In November, walkers will join together in twilight holding illuminated balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters and gold to remember those lost to cancer. In addition to the Walk, the evening’s festivities will include music, food and family activities.

“We chose Ashe as one of the 2013 Light The Night Honored Heroes because he has shown us that even young children can display an incredible amount of courage. While he’s currently in remission, he’s still undergoing chemotherapy and will continue to do so for another two and a half years if all goes well,” said Joanna Winsborough, Senior Campaign Manager for the Light The Night Walk in San Diego. “The Walk is an opportunity to support Ashe and other patients who are going through the same fight. We encourage everyone to get involved and join Ashe’s team to show their support. We hope to see you all out there!”

Individuals can donate to Ashe's fundraising goal or sign up to join Ashe’s Hidden Mickeys team. For more information on this year’s event, visit www.lightthenight.org/sd/.

Cameron Strobel, 4, of Murrieta has also been named an Honored Hero for the event. Read her story by clicking here.