Ex-footballer Ashley Cain to run marathon in Dublin in memory of late daughter Azaylia

Azaylia Diamond Cain died on April 25th 2021 following a short and devastating battle with acute myeloid leukaemia.

Now, her father Ashley (31) is set to run five marathons in five cities over the course of five days.

Starting in Dublin, the British athlete landed in Ireland last night ahead of the run which takes place in the city today.

“Can’t wait to see you guys tomorrow and hopefully we carry the luck of the Irish,” he shared on social media.

He will start at Fitzwilliam Square at 10 am before finishing up on Northumberland Road at 4 pm.

The marathon route will take him across the city to Mount Merrion, UCD, Miltown, Bushy Park, Dolphin’s Barn, Kilmainham, Phoenix Park and through Smithfield to the finish line.

Tomorrow, he will make his way to Belfast for the second leg of the five-day event before moving on to Edinburgh and Cardiff, finishing up in London on Sunday.

All funds raised will go to The Azaylia Foundation, which he set up with Azaylia’s mother and ex-girlfriend Safiyya Vorajee, to help fight childhood cancer.

Azaylia was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at just eight weeks and had tumours on her lungs, stomach and kidneys.

Following several rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, she passed away at eight months old.

Before her death, parents Ashley and Safiyya set up a GoFundMe fundraiser in a bid to get her pioneering treatment in Singapore that is unavailable in the UK.

The young girl's heartbreaking story captured hearts across the world as kind-hearted peopled donated over £1.6million to help her.

Her family then used the money to launch the foundation.

The couple announced that they had parted ways in March with Ashley sharing the announcement with his followers on Instagram.

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“After a devastating and heart-breaking year, Safiyya and I decided to separate a few months ago,” the announcement began.

“This was an incredibly tough decision which we needed to keep to ourselves for some time to give us the opportunity to figure out our own journey privately.”

“The past few months have demonstrated that we remain the closest of friends, spending time together every day and that we will love, care and support each other forever.”

“We are bonded by our powerful journey together, by the eternal love we have for our daughter and our passionate commitment to her foundation.”

While Safiyya is not in Dublin with Ashley, she was there to wave him, his sister Tamika and pal Rehan Khalid off as they left for the airport.