In memory of his late daughter, Azaylia, Ashely Cain recently had some beautiful new inkwork done to tribute his baby daughter’s courageous fight against a rare form of leukemia.
The former Challenge competitor and footballer shared footage from his visit to have work done on several tattoos, which will serve as a powerful reminder of Azaylia’s motivating story.
The inkwork arrives weeks after Cain and his girlfriend Safiyya Vorajee laid their baby daughter to rest with a large procession and funeral service in Nuneaton, England.
Ashley Cain shares video of beautiful tattoos
As Ashley and Safiyya continue to mourn the loss of their daughter Azaylia Diamond Cain, they are also finding ways to inspire others and keep her memories alive as motivation to keep fighting when needed.
Per Plymouth Live, Ashley recently paid a visit to the White Room at Bretonside in Plymouth, the United Kingdom, for several days, where he had some beautiful inkwork done by tattoo artists Pash and Uzzi Canby.
One side of Ashley’s neck features an image with the name Azaylia spelled out in a special font. In the video (below) set to Ed Sheeran’s song Photograph, one of the tattoo artists adds extra detail to the “i” in her name, with the shot also showing a wing drawn above it.
On the other side of Ashley’s neck, there’s a stunning image of a lion shown for many moments at the end of the video. The animal had special significance in that Ashley and Safiyya often referred to Azaylia as their “likkle lion.” Her funeral procession and memorial garden site were decorated with various stuffed lion toys, some of which were based on The Lion King film.
“My Angel, My Likkle Lion, My Azaylia. [angel emoji] [lion emoji] Thank you @uzzi_canby & @pash_canby you’ve really created something special,” his IG video post’s caption said.
“My number 1 forever and always!” Ashley wrote in the caption.
Safiyya also commented on the video footage of Ashley’s inkwork, saying, “Azaylia our hero, so beautiful babe.”
“These guys have created something so special for you [clapping emoji] [orange heart emoji] LETSGOCHAMP,” Safiyya said in her comment.
Metro’s report also indicated that Safiyya had Azaylia’s name tattooed on her wrist and mentioned plans to have several other tattoo designs added in honor of her daughter, including “her little hands and her feet.”
Ashley says Azaylia is ‘the 4th lion’ as England enters Euro final
Ahead of the video showing off his gorgeous new lion tattoo, Ashley referred to his late baby daughter as “the 4th lion” to support his home country’s recent run at the Euro tournament.
England is preparing to play Italy in the UEFA Euro final on Sunday. Days ahead of that matchup, Ashley showed off his special gear in an Instagram post which also pays tribute to Azaylia. Ashley, a former footballer with Coventry City, wore a white jersey with “Azaylia” write across the back over the number 10 and “Let’s Go Champ” written below it.
In addition, he wore blue shorts with Azaylia Diamond Cain written in white letters on one leg and a pair of white and orange sneakers to complete the look. Orange has been a color associated with Azaylia and her fight against leukemia.
“@england the 4th lion is with you [lion eomji] Bring it home for us lads, we believe in you,” Ashley wrote in his post’s caption.
The three lions are part of a historic badge on the front of England’s official shirts, which one report says dates back to the 1870s in Scotland. A song, released in 1996 by Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds, called Three Lions, became the official anthem for England. It has since returned to the charts during their latest run in the Euro tournament.
“It’s coming home” is a big part of the song lyrics, which Ashley hashtagged in his series of IG photos (below).
Ashley Cain, who competed on MTV’s The Challenge: War of The Worlds season, also appeared on Ex on the Beach UK Season 1. He and his girlfriend Safiyya Vorajee revealed their baby daughter, Azaylia, was diagnosed with leukemia at just two months old. Last October, Ashley revealed she had “a very rare and aggressive form” of cancer.
Both Ashley and Safiyya continued to update fans on Azaylia’s fight with the disease. This past February, they were informed Azaylia’s leukemia had returned, per UK Metro’s report. Despite efforts to raise money and secure treatment in Singapore, Azayla’s health situation took a severe turn.
In April, she passed away after fighting six months with leukemia and was laid to rest in late May. Ahead of the memorial service, many individuals lined the streets during a large funeral procession to show their support. Since then, Ashley has continued to share updates on his Instagram page about his grieving process and various signs he sees that his baby daughter’s inspiring memory continues.
The Challenge Season 37 premiere date is TBA for 2021 on MTV.