Influencer Ashley Stock has laid her 3-year-old daughter to rest following her battle with brain cancer. After being diagnosed with the tumor in April, little Stevie passed away on May 27.
Following Stevie’s passing, Stock took to Instagram to share a statement. She wrote that she has “complete faith” that the tragedy of losing her 3-year-old daughter has a greater purpose.
“We have complete faith in there being a greater purpose of this tragedy (and it’s already unfolding through your stories of renewed hope). But, unfortunately, faith is not a ‘get out of pain-free’ card, and that’s okay. I don’t know how to do this, so, for now, we’ll continue one day at a time held by the grace of God, the support of loved ones, and the prayers of strangers who have become friends.”
Now, Stevie has been laid to rest. Along with a series of pictures from her funeral, Stock quoted a song from the Broadway hit, Hamilton called It’s Quiet Uptown.
“There are moments that the words don’t reach. There is suffering too terrible to name. You hold your child as tight as you can. And push away the unimaginable. The moments when you’re in so deep. It feels easier to just swim down. They move uptown. And learn to live with the unimaginable.
If I could spare (her) life. If I could trade (her) life for mine. She’d be standing here right now. And you would smile, and that would be enough. I don’t pretend to know. The challenges we’re facing. I know there’s no replacing what we’ve lost. And you need time. But I’m not afraid. I know who I married. Just let me stay here by your side. That would be enough.”
The mom of three also shared what her last moments with Stevie were like a week after her passing. And how they almost mimicked the moment they first met.
“Dear Stevie, it’s been one week since you took your last breath in my arms while Stevie Nicks Landslide quietly played in the background—the same song that played in the delivery room when you entered this world,” Stock shared with her followers.
“Today I drive home from my first trip to the grocery store in over a month and my mama instinct still thinks you’re behind me in your seat. We’ll pass the trash trucks and fire trucks and the outline of the white moon in a blue sky. I’m waiting to hear your little voice yell out, ‘Mommy look, look. Trash truck. Firetruck. Dah moooon. So pretty.’ But it’s only silence. And then I’m the mama hysterically crying at the stoplight looking in my rearview mirror at an empty bucket seat that used to house your car seat.”
The grieving mom went on to share it’s the same reaction when she passes the diaper aisle at Target or the cute little girl clothes. It’s the same when she’s looking for her keys and finds one of Stevie’s binkies, or when she goes into the garage and sees the big girl bed they were getting ready to set up for their little girl.
“Everything is you. I’ve built my life and my heart around you and your brothers and while the joy still exists all around me, none of it feels even close to the same without you,” Stock continued. “Living this broken feels impossible, but baby girl, I promise I’m looking for your miracles around every corner. Even from the other side, you’re keeping me going. We’ve got work to do, hugs to give and hearts to heal.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Stock family during this extremely difficult time.