New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón is a three-time All-Star on the mound, while Kyle Busch was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, but the two — and their families — shared a unique bond.
As two families that struggled to have children and had the financial means to see their journeys through to success, they’ve teamed up over the years to help others do the same. Months after Kyle’s shocking death at age 41, Carlos, 33, and his wife, Ashley, will honor his widow, Samantha Busch.
“Samantha has been a champion behind IVF in totality for so long, and honestly, someone brought [us] one of her videos,” Ashley told Us exclusively ahead of the couple’s third annual Willow Gala, benefitting the Carlos Rodón Foundation. “She was talking about IVF coverage, and she just has such a passion when she talks about it. And I remember seeing it, and I was like, ‘These are the foundations we want to partner with.’”
Samantha, 40, will receive the Seeds of Hope Award at the gala for her work with the Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund. Both athletes’ foundations work to help families access financial assistance and resources for fertility care.
Carlos is originally from North Carolina, where the Busch family lives, while Samantha and Ashley both grew up in Indiana.
“It was a natural fit for us, for them,” Ashley said. “We’ve been able to give them a bunch of grants … [Samantha has] always used her platform for good and to help other people. Her journey never ended. She used it, and now she gets to carry on Kyle’s legacy and what they’ve built through this foundation, and we’re just really excited to highlight the work that they’ve been doing for so long.”
Kyle and Samantha Busch David Jensen/Getty Images
Ashley continued, “Her story of resilience, of starting her family, and she has two beautiful children who, obviously, are the light of her entire world right now and keep her going. And just the legacy of resilience through losing Kyle and and just keeping his legacy alive.”
Kyle and Samantha welcomed son Brexton via IVF in 2015 and daughter Lennix via surrogate in 2022. Ashley suffered multiple pregnancy losses before becoming pregnant with her and Carlos’ daughter Willow, 6, right as they were about to begin IVF. They later welcomed sons Bo, 5, and Silo, 3.
Ashley said she and Carlos spent more than $10,000 just trying to figure out why they were struggling to conceive. And while Carlos makes millions as a Major League pitcher, Ashley that the average family cannot afford to spend as much.
“I remember looking [Carlos] and saying, ‘How does anyone afford this?’” she recalled. “We are in such a unique position where I’ll spend whatever it takes to have a family, like we’re not going to not have children, but how does anyone else do that?”
The journey was equally eye-opening for Carlos, who admitted he was naive to the struggles many faced before going through it himself.
“I thought it was pretty easy to make a child,” he said. “I have a pretty vivid memory of when I was younger. I asked one of my teammates, ‘Are you planning on having any other children?’ like it was something that was very accessible and easy to do, and I had an older teammate tell me like, ‘Hey, that’s not exactly the best thing to ask someone because you don’t know what they’re going through.’ I didn’t know. I was 22 years old, a rookie.”
The Willow Gala will take place on Monday, August 24, in Brooklyn, New York. The Yankees are off that day and most of Carlos’ teammates are expected to attend.
