An Oscar Surprise for Orphaned Teen

Feb. 25, 2005 — -- Life was happy for Ben and Susie Tang as they raised their family in suburban Phoenix. Their family blossomed, first with Ryan and then Tiffany, and then the family seemed complete when little Ashley came along.

Ben was a computer engineer for Kodak, while Susie was a popular home economics teacher. She'd often tell her students about her own children, whom she always called "special."

When Ashley was a toddler, her mom became ill. Susie was diagnosed with breast cancer. "I remember taking trips to the hospital and I didn't know what was happening," said Ashley, now 18.

After a remission, the cancer returned. Ashley didn't understand that her mother was battling to survive.

"I remember everyone gathered around her, praying over her bed," said Ashley.

More Bad News

It was a fight that eventually ended Susie Tang's life.

"Before they closed the casket, I remember the last thing I said to her was, 'Goodbye, Mommy. I'll see you in heaven,'" remembered Ashley.

Dealing with their sadness, Ashley and her father turned to each other for support and became very close. They played ball; he took her to see "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno;" they did everything together. She was in every way "daddy's little girl."

While her older brother and sister left home and went off to college, Ashley began to focus on school and became an A student.

But just when everything seemed to be going well for Ashley, her world suddenly collapsed around her.

"I just saw the look in [my father's] face when he came home from the doctor," Ashley said. "I knew it wasn't some news I wanted to hear."

It seemed unimaginable -- her father now had lung cancer. Ashley was only in seventh grade when she was told that her father had only one year to live.

Not Looking for Pity

As her father's disease progressed, Ashley studied by day and cared for her dad at night. She bathed him, helped him with his medication and kept him company.

Ashley's aunt, Betty Mah, says the young girl cared for her ailing father when no one else could.

"She was the only one here at night to help him," Mah said.

After a two-year battle, Ben Tang passed away. Ashley was only a freshman in high school.

"Sometimes I cry just thinking about my parents and wishing they were here," said Ashley. "Just knowing that my parents won't be at my graduation. They won't be at my wedding if I get married."

While she has dealt with tough times most teenagers can't even imagine, Ashley says the last thing she wants is for people to feel sorry for her.

"I didn't want people to pity me. That's not how I want people to see me. I don't want attention," said Ashley. "And so I accepted it and moved on with life, because I'm not going to dwell on the past and get angry."

Top of the Class

With her older brother and sister living in other cities and her aunt and uncle living next door, Ashley chose to live alone in the family home all four years of high school.

"I wanted to stay here also to be closer to the memories of my parents," she said.

Despite living alone, Ashley continued to focus on her studies and remained a straight "A" student. And against all odds, Ashley was named valedictorian of her graduating class this year.

Teachers and students alike are cheering Ashley's success.

Her high school principal, Deborah Greenfield, said, "She gives us all hope … [that] some of the students that face adversity … can change their life."

And her friend Donovan Sanders said other students look up to her. "Everyone that experiences a bit of her life will be forever touched," he said. "They already are now. She is a leader to all of us."

Another Reason to Smile

Ashley said she is grateful for her friends who "taught me how to smile and how to laugh." And she is philosophical about all she has been through.

"I often compare myself to the story about the young girl who got a dozen roses, except there were no roses only thorns," she said. "And she was still thankful, and I see my life as just still being thankful for the thorns of my life, being thankful for the things that have happened in my life, because those are the things that have made me strong as a person today."

Ashley got one more reason to smile when she joined "Good Morning America's" Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts during their pre-Oscar broadcast at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

After presenting Ashley with a dozen roses, the "GMA" hosts gave her another surprise when they told her she would be the show's special red-carpet correspondent for the Academy Awards show on Sunday night.

Ashley will be getting the full fashion work-up for her Oscar gig as well, from hair and makeup to a designer dress fitting. And a Hollywood star has signed on to be Ashley's personal guide on the red carpet. Tune in to Monday's show for all the details of Ashley's special night.