'Tiny but so mighty': Taunton mom of quadruplets mourns heartbreaking loss of baby Chesley

Daniel Schemer, The Taunton Daily Gazette
·4 min read

TAUNTON — Taunton mother Ashley Ness is mourning the heartbreaking loss of one of her quadruplets, her infant daughter Chesley.

“My beautiful daughter, Chesley May, was called home to Heaven after a courageous six months of life. Her passing leaves a huge emptiness in the hearts of all of us,” said Ness, in an Instagram post.

The quadruplets were born 12 weeks premature on July 28, and Ness said Chesley, who died on Feb. 22, suffered from severe chronic lung disease along with other health issues. Chesley’s birth weight was just 1 pound, 7 ounces, the smallest of the four children.

“Chesley unfortunately had a lot of catching up to do, but that didn’t stop her. She fought through so many obstacles it was crazy, she was tiny but so mighty! She showed me the true meaning of being strong,” said Ness, in her statement on Chesley’s passing.

Taunton mother of quadruplets Ashley Ness nestles her daughter Chesley, who died on Feb. 22, 2023.
Taunton mother of quadruplets Ashley Ness nestles her daughter Chesley, who died on Feb. 22, 2023.

While the other three quadruplets, Chance, Cheston and Chatham, were able to go home in October, Chesley stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mass General Hospital in Boston for her entire life.

Ness chronicled through social media that Chesley “fought through infection after infection,” and braved multiple surgeries, but, ultimately, her body was extremely tired and struggling.

“She truly was an amazing little girl and forever changed the way I look at things. She did exactly what she was sent to do and that was to touch everyone she met in her short but meaningful life!” Ness said.

Baby Chesley May, daughter to Ashley Ness and Val Bettencourt, passed away February 22, 2203, at the age of 6 months.
Baby Chesley May, daughter to Ashley Ness and Val Bettencourt, passed away February 22, 2203, at the age of 6 months.

When Ness and her partner Val Bettencourt's were expecting quadruplets, the news didn’t just attract regional attention it also made national news, getting covered by such outlets as People and Good Morning America.

According to raisingmultiples.org, odds of twins are about 1 in 83 pregnancies; triplets, 1 in about 7,000; quadruplets, 1 in 570,000; and quintuplets, 1 and 47 million. Now you know.

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The Ness-Bettencourt quadruplets are considered spontaneous quadruplets, as in naturally-occurring quadruplets, no fertility treatments involved. Of course, quadruplets in any case are very rare, but in the case of a natural occurrence about 1 in 700,000, according to a number of sources, including reproductivefacts.org.

But having quadruplets resulting in two sets of identical twins is exponentially more unlikely, with odds sited in the 1 in 70 million range.

Ashley Ness and Val Bettencourt of Taunton welcomed their quadruplets Chesley, Chance, Cheston and Chatham into the world on July 28, 2022. Chesley, top left, who suffered from severe chronic lung disease along with other health issues, died on Feb. 22, 2023.
Ashley Ness and Val Bettencourt of Taunton welcomed their quadruplets Chesley, Chance, Cheston and Chatham into the world on July 28, 2022. Chesley, top left, who suffered from severe chronic lung disease along with other health issues, died on Feb. 22, 2023.

When Ness told The Daily Gazette back in June about the shock of learning through ultrasound earlier in the year that she wasn’t just pregnant with one, but with four, her story seemed to resonate with parents and families who could understand her concerns and trials…and her joy.

Said Ness, back in June: “Everyone says do you play the lottery? As a matter of fact I tried to win the HDTV Dream Home. I did not get that. But I got the babies instead. But, yeah, people keep telling me to play the lottery. I'm pretty sure all my luck is gone, I'm pretty sure these babies took it all.”

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Ness and Bettencourt already had four kids between them:  Ness’s daughter Chanel and Bettencourt’s sons, Isaiah and Zayden, and his older daughter, Tyra.

Ness back in June praised her family and whole support system, saying, “They say, if anyone can do it, it’s you,’ and ‘we know you can do this.’  Everyone’s been very supportive.”

Taunton mother of quadruplets Ashley Ness with her daughter Chesley, who died on Feb. 22, 2023.
Taunton mother of quadruplets Ashley Ness with her daughter Chesley, who died on Feb. 22, 2023.

A fundraiser on GoFundMe was started last year when Ness was still pregnant with the quadruplets.  Ness worked as a hairdresser prior to going on maternity leave, while Bettencourt is a car mechanic.

With Chesley remaining at Mass General Hospital, Ness drove every day from Taunton to Boston, bringing her other babies with her, who all required frequent checkups.

“It was very important to me to have the babies together,” said Ness on her Instagram account.

In this photo, mother Ashley Ness, along with staff at Mass General Hospital, are preparing to take baby Chesley May for her only walk outside the building.
In this photo, mother Ashley Ness, along with staff at Mass General Hospital, are preparing to take baby Chesley May for her only walk outside the building.

This also means Ness hasn’t been able to return to work, adding to the financial struggles.

“Ashley cannot return to work as these tiny miracles will need round-the-clock care for most of their first year,” the GoFundMe page said. 

In her most recent post, Ness thanked the staff at Mass General Hospital’s NICU who cared for Chesley, saying, “I can’t thank the MGH NICU Staff enough for all they did for my family. They truly became family to us. They love the C Squad that’s for sure! They made it very comfortable for me when I had to leave at night because she was getting the best possible care.”

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton quadruplets: Mother Ashley Ness mourns death of baby Chesley