Ashley Solomon was a member of our AFS family. She worked for AFS when we were still operating from a small storage unit in Ann Arbor and can be easily described as the inspiration for pretty much every one of our core values. Humility, Empathy, Joy, any of those could be her middle name.  She was a light. That’s the easiest way to sum up her qualities. If you were with her you felt comfortable, you could be yourself with her immediately, and she NEVER let LITTLE things get in the way of her happiness. Her positive attitude, willingness to help others, and her general passion for life was nothing short of inspiring and many of us became very close to Ashley during her time at AFS.
After graduating from school, she parted ways with AFS to become an elementary music teacher and was adored by her students. Although she always kept in touch with us throughout, Ashley officially reconnected with AFS in 2015 in Plymouth, becoming a client! This time to get ready for her wedding! She was engaged to a wonderful man (who many refer to as the nicest guy on earth) named Jordan Solomon who absolutely adored her. They were a perfect match.
Ashley did an incredible job leading up to the wedding and looked AWESOME when she and Jordan were married in October of 2016. Shortly after the wedding, she told us how excited she was to start her own family and wasted no time making it happen! She and Jordan announced that they would be welcoming a baby boy (Avi) into their lives at the end of June in 2017 and she was ecstatic!
As June approached, everything was on a fairytale trajectory for Ashley and Jordan. Soon they would welcome baby Avi into the world and they would start their lives as new parents. They were so excited as they made final preparations for Avi’s arrival.
On June 27th, 2017 Ashley Solomon; a 28 year old wife, teacher, daughter, sister, and soon to be mom passed away before ever getting the chance to hold her first born child. In this day and age it’s incredibly rare, but complications during delivery took her life.
I was absolutely shocked and heartbroken to hear this news. She would have been a spectacular mother and I cannot imagine what Jordan and their family are going through. Jordan has not only suffered the loss of his wife and best friend, he has incurred medical bills, funeral costs, and the general costs of raising a child all while losing Ashley’s income to help with the burden. I have given all that I can personally and this is where the AFS Community comes in.
When people ask me, “What do you do?” My response is often, “I run a fitness facility in Plymouth.” Although I love my “job” it is not why I am here. AFS is not my life’s purpose. I, like all of you, am here to help other people and to serve our community the best that I can. That is why we are all here. AFS is simply a vehicle for me to do that.
I know there are tragedies that strike local families each and every day. I would never want to downplay the fact that so many people are going through hard times, but this one hits very close to home. We feel like our teammates and clients become part of our family, even when they move on to bigger and better things. Ashley was one of us and will always be one of us. AFS would not be what it is today without Ashley. My goal, through the AFS Community, is to help lighten the burden of these costs for Jordan and their new born son Avi. We have a network of incredible people like you and I feel like it is my responsibility to ask you for help. Not as a business owner or a trainer but as a friend.
If you have the means, we and the Solomon family would be incredibly grateful if you could give a contribution to help Jordan and Avi in this time of immense need.
[primary-btn url=”https://www.youcaring.com/jordanandavisolomon-861314″] Make a Donation [/primary-btn]
Uncomfortable with online donations? Contact one of the team members below to set up an in-person donation.
AFS Rochester-nate@appliedfitnstg.wpenginepowered.com
AFS Plymouth-devin@appliedfitnstg.wpenginepowered.com
AFS Ann Arbor-adam@appliedfitnstg.wpenginepowered.com