Ovarian Cancer, Infertility & The Miracle Of Motherhood w/ Ashley Ellington (EP #72)

Jul 27

2 min read

Rebel Rootz Show Episode #72 with Ashley Ellington.

Watch the full episode on Youtube:

Ashley Ellington is a Wilmington, North Carolina native, entrepreneur, ovarian cancer survivor, wife, and mom-to-be. She is also the co-owner of Plato’s Closet Wilmington, NC, a business that has been part of her life since she was 16 years old.

In this episode, Evonne Varady sits down with Ashley to talk about ovarian cancer, infertility, surrogacy, business ownership, marriage, faith, and the emotional journey of becoming a mother after cancer. Ashley shares how she and her husband Brandon were trying to conceive when she received her ovarian cancer diagnosis, and how that diagnosis changed the future she had always pictured.

Ashley opens up about surgery, chemotherapy, egg retrieval, the grief of possibly losing motherhood, and the miracle of retrieving 33 eggs from one ovary. She also shares what it was like to purchase Plato’s Closet while going through cancer treatment, why that business became a new beginning, and how she continued moving forward through one life-changing chapter after another.

Evonne and Ashley also discuss the surrogacy journey, the gift of their gestational carrier, the moment they found out they were pregnant, and the hope of welcoming their baby boy. This conversation is for women navigating infertility, cancer, motherhood, entrepreneurship, faith, and unexpected life transitions.

Ashley’s story is a powerful reminder that life does not always unfold the way we imagined, but the hardest chapters can still lead to some of the greatest blessings.

Timestamps:

[00:48] Trailer + Intro

[01:43] Meet Ashley Ellington

[03:21] 20 Years at Plato’s Closet

[04:15] Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis

[05:33] Losing the Dream of Motherhood

[07:08] Emergency Egg Retrieval

[07:53] 33 Eggs and 8 Embryos

[08:33] Chemo and Buying a Business

[11:13] Becoming the Owner

[13:06] 9 Weeks Pregnant Through Surrogacy

[14:33] Marriage Through Hard Seasons

[17:43] Anger, Faith, and Positivity

[19:21] Sharing Her Story

[21:27] Motherhood Dream Derailed

[24:07] Finding a Surrogate

[31:03] The Pregnancy Surprise

[35:18] Advice for Hard Seasons

[37:42] One Day at a Time

[40:33] How to Support Someone Through Cancer

[43:56] Baby Boy Reveal

[44:24] Closing Thoughts

Key Takeaways:

• Losing the dream of motherhood hurt me even more than the cancer diagnosis itself. ~ Ashley Ellington

• “I’ve always longed to be a mother.” ~ Ashley Ellington

• “The life that I had imagined just was poof, gone out the door.” ~ Ashley Ellington

• “Don’t be ashamed. It’s okay to feel your feelings.” ~ Ashley Ellington

• “There’s a plan, and I may not fully see the big picture yet, but I’m starting to.” ~ Ashley Ellington

• “You just gotta take it one day at a time.” ~ Ashley Ellington

• Sometimes sharing your story is the best therapy, because someone else out there needs to hear it. ~ Evonne Varady

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Timestamps:

Key Takeaways:

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