Ashley Catucci Fights Brain Cancer

Ashley Catucci is many things, of things that define her; she is a mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and so much more. Throughout her life, she has been goal-oriented and has achieved her lifelong goal of becoming a mother to a beautiful baby girl, Ellis, born on October 28th, 2021. She has achieved this goal through the love and care of her husband, Ben Smith, with whom she has spent 11 incredible years. Many of their shared goals have been earned and achieved through patience and hard work.

She holds many passions, one of which is being an educator. Ashley is a beloved 1st grade teacher at Spokane International Academy; she is a joy to her students and faculty. She graduated from Joel E. Ferris High School in 2009 and received her degree in Elementary Education and a BAE in Sociology from Western Washington University in 2018. Upon graduating, she received a 2nd grade teaching position within Sedro-Woolley Washington. As the pandemic hit, the need to be near family drew her back to Spokane, WA, where she started a new journey as a 1st grade teacher at her current school, SIA. This school year was the start of her 4th year of teaching, and she was excited to learn and grow with her students. 

These last two years have been full of milestones. Ashley and Ben bought their first home in August 2021 and welcomed their first child, Ellis. Ben and Ashley tied the knot in an intimate Oregon Coast wedding surrounded by family just last July 2022. 

As October started, the Catucci-Smith family started preparation for Ellis’ first birthday with much excitement and happiness. At the same time, Ashley began having debilitating pain and migraines, lasting for brief moments at a time. 

On Friday, November 4th, 2022, Ashley was in the midst of teaching when she felt like she was going to pass out. She paid a visit to the school nurse, who had her lie down and eat some food. After speaking with other staff members, they encouraged her to have her mother pick her up and be seen by a medical professional. Ashley went to three medical clinics before finally landing in an emergency room, where they performed an EKG followed by a CT scan. Despite struggling with medical anxiety her whole life, Ashley bravely sought all testing during this time. Within a two-hour period of time, the ER physicians came to Ashley and her mother, reporting a large brain mass within her imaging. 

On Friday, November 11th, 2022, Ashley was officially diagnosed with brain cancer. She has handled this diagnosis with the same grace she shows to her family, friends, and students. Ashley and Ben are currently working through the complicated process of FMLA. Ashley’s little family needs help covering the exorbitant cost of treatments and hospitalizations, as well as their mortgage and health insurance - Ashley will lose her medical insurance and benefits once her FMLA runs out. A donation of any kind allows Ashley to be surrounded by her husband and daughter while they navigate this journey through cancer and recovery.

Let's stand together with Ashley; we are proud of you and love you so much. 

DONATE | PRAY | CONNECT

Any donations are humbly accepted. 

Prayers, healing thoughts, and goodwill are the most valuable. All religions and denominations are welcome.

Please write letters; Ashley would love words of encouragement and is excited to respond:

Ashley Catucci

1910 E 18th Ave

Spokane, WA 99203

We will be posting updates as we move forward. 

Thank you,

Catucci + Smith family and friends,

#CancerFreeCatucci #BTSM #braincancerawareness