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Battling a Terminal Disease After Suffering Family Tragedy, MMA Fighter Receives Support From Ex-UFC Fighter Turned OnlyF**s Model

Published 07/23/2023, 12:51 PM EDT

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The MMA community always stands behind one of its own. Tragedies, one after another, have jolted the life of Ashlee Gambino. ‘MobWife’ is currently battling severe idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, a terminal disease. The disease is only a fragment of the recent tumult that the Las Vegas fighter experienced. Many would have lost hope. But she is fighting back, biding her time against all the punches that life keeps throwing at her. Now, former UFC fighter Cat Zingano has joined her corner.

The 32-year-old came into prominence as clips of her sparring with people on Fremont Street went viral. Her fame also sparked a career in MMA, as she joined a local ‘Tuff-N-Uff’ promotion. However, her tryst with fighting was short-lived as her husband, Travis Long, announced the deadly disease to the media. This was the second time tragedy had struck the family.

Just a week prior, the couple had lost their 3-year-old daughter to leukemia. At the time of diagnosis, the retired MMA fighter was 20 weeks pregnant. But due to her severe condition, she had to terminate her pregnancy in order to save her life and prevent the suffering of her child.

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MMA star Cat Zingano came to the aid of Ashlee Gambino

All this tragedy took place within two months. Thus, it left little to no time for the family to mourn the deaths of their daughters. All the turmoil left her and her family under great stress.

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She tried to write down the pain she went through as she looked for help now. In addition, Gambino has set up a GoFundMe to help her with medical expenses and aims to collect $50,000.

The former amateur fighter turned to her Instagram handle and called herself the ‘fighter fighting for her life’. She wrote, “Hey everyone…I’m sharing this in hopes that we soon hit our goal… we are financially, emotionally, and mentally struggling and still haven’t recovered from the death of our two daughters .. then my diagnosis right afterwards …it’s just been a nightmare. We’ve had no time to breath..”

“Every dollar and every share truly counts.. I don’t know how much longer I have to live and I’m a desperate mother reaching out for help.. 😞 🙏🏻,” she added later.

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This heartfelt post reached Bellator star Zingano, and she shared the post on her Instagram handle. Zingano, who recently announced her partnership with OnlyF*ns, also shared the images of Gambino in the subsequent stories. Notably, Gambino’s GoFundMe page details her heartbreaking story. She also disclosed her plans to work as an Uber driver to meet the costs of her expensive medical treatment. She also hoped to find a better apartment with a few months to rent and finally mourn.

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What do you make of this gesture by the MMA star Cat Zingano? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Rohit Lohan

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Rohit Lohan is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports, with a passion for the sport that has spanned over a decade. His fascination with MMA stems from the thrill of knockouts, and he strives to bring that same level of excitement to his writing. Rohit's love for gripping stories is reflected in his articles, where he masterfully weaves together the latest news with compelling narratives.
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Edited by:

Anuj Jacob