Honoring Ashley Marie Mason’s Legacy

* My name is Kristianna Smith, Sister to Stephen Mason, Aunt to Kylah and Sister-In-Law to Ashley Mason. I have created this GoFundMe page on behalf of Stephen Mason and family. *

We are reaching out with heavy hearts following the unexpected loss of our beloved Ashley Mason. At only 30 years young, she was a devoted partner to Stephen Mason, a loving mother to their miracle daughter, Kylah, a daughter, a sister, a friend, the glue to the pieces of family and life… Ashley’s absence has left an irreplaceable void in our lives. To know Ashley was to love her.

Stephen and Ashley have been together for 13 years; dated for 3, married for 10. They first met at church and became best friends. They started dating in 2011, and began to create the life they both once dreamt. They married in 2014 and in 2020, they welcomed their precious daughter Kylah Mason, their miracle baby. In 2022, they bought their forever home to share the rest of their lives together. Life was looking like the picture-perfect dream they once dreamt of as little kids, spending forever together.

Wednesday, March 20th, shattered that dream in an instant. What started out as shoulder pain, Ashley was flight lifted from Spartanburg Regional to Greenville Memorial for emergency surgery as she had a stroke early that morning, causing 2 ruptured arteries. The doctors and nurses did all they could to repair one of the ruptured arteries by placing several stents and placing her in an induced coma. The next plan was to do surgery the following morning to repair the other ruptured artery. However, at 3:30 a.m., on Thursday, March 21st, after tests were completed, they broke the worst news anyone would want to hear. Ashley had swelling in her brain, but the doctors were not able to perform the surgery to relieve the pressure as she was on 2 kinds of blood thinners for the artery they just put several stents in. They were unable to stop the blood thinners as that was the only thing keeping the artery from clotting again and rupturing again. We were told that we had to wait for the swelling to go down on its own (5-7 days), but unfortunately, brain damage had already taken place.

All the while, her father, Robert “Todd” Varholy, was on a cruise and unable to return until Sunday, March 24th, despite all of the resources he and his wife, Belinda (Step-Mother) tried to obtain to return sooner. Ashley is the only child to Todd. Her father made it to her hospital bedside on Sunday, March 24th. Everyone prayed and begged for a miracle, however, on Tuesday, March 26th at 4:05 p.m., Ashley gained her wings and Heaven gained a beautiful Angel.

In the wake of this tragedy, we are committed to ensuring that Stephen and Kylah are supported as they face the unimaginable task of navigating life without Ashley. Our goal is to alleviate any financial burdens that may arise now and in the future, enabling them to focus on healing and preserving Ashley’s memory. It's hard to set a number on the financial support that may be needed, but any contribution will be greatly appreciated.

Life now for Stephen and Kylah is not what once was. Now a single father of a 3-year-old, Stephen needs to find a way to continue on this new journey he never once would wish on anyone else. Stephen has lost his soulmate, his best friend, his wife, the mother of his daughter, and so much more. He never knew life without her and in an instant, it was all taken from him, their daughter, her father, family and friends.

This GoFundMe campaign is an appeal for your kindness and generosity. If you can, please donate. Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a significant difference in the lives of Stephen and Kylah. Your prayers, condolences, and donations are deeply appreciated. Thank you for all of the love and support you've shown our families.

On behalf of both families, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of love and support during this challenging time. Together, let’s honor Ashley’s legacy.

If you are unable to donate, we understand. Still, please share your stories, memories, and send photos and videos of Ashley to Stephen Mason, Todd Varholy, or myself, Kristianna Smith. We would love to hear from you and cherish the memories you have of her.

We miss you, Ashley. You will always be in our hearts. This is not goodbye, but rather, see you later.

We thank each and every one of you for the texts, calls, thoughts and prayers.