Friends hope to help Ansley Smith during St. Jude stay
Ansley Smith will be living at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for the next year. The “Fight for Ansley” charity boot camp and “Candy for Ansley” photography sessions will raise funds for Ansley. (CONTRIBUTED)
MADISON – Recent kindergarten graduate Ansley Smith would prefer to be at home with her dog Jazzabell, her chinchilla Ricky Bobby, grandmother Vanesa and sister Lacy.
Ansley has Stage 3 Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer. After routine appointments for an ear infection, doctors found a large mass in Ansley’s sinus area and palette that was eroding the bone leading to her skull.
For the next year, she will live at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. for 60 weeks of chemotherapy.
Last fall, Ansley met Berlin Detulleo in Nikki Griffin’s kindergarten class at Madison Elementary School and at The Dance Company. Berlin’s mother, Jen Fouts-Detulleo, is spearheading drives to benefit Ansley’s family.
Ansley couldn’t finish kindergarten at Madison elementary but graduated from kindergarten at St. Jude. “Ansley will also be taking summer school and first grade at St. Jude,” Detulleo said.
On June 7, Body Creations Inc. (BCI) will host the “Fight for Ansley” charity boot camp from 10 to 11 a.m. “My friend Andy McCloy mentioned he wanted to start charity boot camps. He said Ansley’s cause would be the perfect first one,” Detulleo said.
The “metabolic blast boot camp uses resistance training to maximize fat loss and energy expenditure. The program can be progressed or regressed to fit anyone’s fitness needs,” Detulleo said.
A minimum $10 donation is requested. All donations go directly to the family. To register for the boot camp, visit bcimetabolicblast.com.
BCI’s address is 9582 Madison Blvd., Suite 16-17. For more information, visit bodycreationsinc.com.
In addition, JFD Photography & Design at 101 Church St. in Madison is holding “Candy for Ansley” mini-sessions on June 7 from 3 to 7 p.m. Detulleo owns the studio. (jfdphotography.com or Facebook/JFD Photography and Design)
Detulleo also is selling T-shirts and bracelets to Ansley well-wishers.
Ansley’s parents are J.R. and Cassie Smith. He manages Red Robin restaurant; she works as a lighting specialist at Richards Lighting.
For more information, visit caringbridge.org/visit/ansleyabigail, gofundme.com/loveforansley or Facebook/Love for Ansley. Redstone Federal Credit Union is collecting donations for Ansley.
