MADISON COUNTY — A community-led fundraiser is underway to support terminally ill cancer patient Ashley Forrester and her daughter, following a Facebook plea posted this week by friend Tabitha Bowen.
Forrester, a two-time cancer survivor, is now in the end stages of a rare and aggressive disease. Bowen wrote that friends and relatives are working quickly to raise money to help Forrester and her daughter, Grace, as medical needs and living expenses grow.
According to Bowen’s post, Forrester survived Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in her early 20s and was diagnosed again in April 2024 with Stage 3 vulvar squamous cell carcinoma, a rare cancer. She underwent six weeks of chemotherapy, 44 radiation treatments, multiple surgeries and extensive testing. She was briefly declared cancer-free in June 2025.
But scans taken in May 2025 revealed lesions on both lungs. After additional biopsies and a PET scan, doctors confirmed the cancer had returned and spread. A follow-up scan showed the number of lesions had increased to eight, Bowen said. Forrester’s doctor told her there were no remaining curative options and estimated she had one to three months to live.
Bowen said Forrester declined palliative treatments that could extend her life by only a few months because they would make her too sick to spend quality time with her daughter and family.
Forrester has since relocated to St. Thomas to live with her brother and sister-in-law, who are helping care for her. Her sister-in-law serves as Chief of Medicine at the island’s hospital, and Forrester is now receiving medical support and hospice care there. She recently passed the three-month mark following her prognosis, something Bowen attributes to “the power of prayer.”
But funds are running low, Bowen said, and supporters are turning to the community for help. Organizers chose to collect donations through Cash App, Venmo and Zelle rather than GoFundMe to ensure all funds go directly to Forrester and her daughter without fees.
Bowen said Forrester worries about her daughter’s future and wants Grace to have stability when she returns home to Dallas after her mother’s passing.
“Any amount helps,” Bowen wrote, urging people to donate or share the fundraiser.
Donations can be sent to:
- Cash App: $gracieflowers13
- Venmo: gracieflowers13
- Zelle: Available upon request through direct message
The family thanked supporters for their generosity, saying the community’s response has been a source of comfort during an unimaginably difficult time.
