An amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter is now fighting for her life after being diagnosed with a deadly disease.
Ashlee “Mobwife” Gambino rose to social media fame after she would spar with people on Fremont Street. That led to an amateur fight career in the local Tuff-N-Uff promotion.
News 3 spoke with her husband, Travis Long, who said Gambino has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of pulmonary hypertension.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pulmonary hypertension "happens when the pressure in the blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs is too high." If the pressure gets too high, blood doesn't flow as well as it should, and that results in less oxygen for the blood.
Gambino's family received the terrible news weeks after the family suddenly lost their 3-year-old daughter to acute leukemia.
Gambino was 20 weeks pregnant at the time and had to make the hard decision of terminating the pregnancy.
“She would only survive for a week or so if she continued with the pregnancy,” said Long. “Doctors were shocked she had survived that long.”
The family is in desperate need of help, as Long is the sole provider and now caretaker of his wife and two other children.
“I have kids, so I have to put on a mask, and I have to be strong for her,” said Long.
If you would like to help, the family does have a GoFundMe set up.