On September 13th, what will be Alexa's 35th birthday, we gather not just to remember her, but to honor her legacy - a legacy of courage, resilience, and love that continues to ripple outward in ways both small and profound.
Alexa was born a fighter. Born early and with Tetralogy of Fallot, a rare and complex heart condition. Her organs were also reversed, as her heart sat on the opposite side of her chest, and from her earliest days, her life was filled with surgeries, setbacks, and moments that would have broken most. But not Alexa.
She endured four open-heart surgeries, lung surgery, a stroke at age two, and months - nearly a year - spent in the hospital during her first two years of life. And yet, she lived fully. She played soccer and basketball, even when she couldn't play full quarters. She made one unforgettable basket near the end of her time in sports, and the gym erupted - not because of the point, but because everyone knew the fight it took to get her there.
She was funny, sassy, stubborn, and passionate. She went on roller coasters, loved horror movies, and was a rebellious teenager!
When Alexa died at just 17, we lost her physical presence, but what she left behind is staggering. Though we didn't know it at the time, Alexa had signed up to be an organ donor. Even in death, she gave. Her skin, her tendons, her ACL, her spirit - now live on in over 50 other people. One young man who received her ACL wrote to her parents, Judy and Harry, to tell them that because of her gift, he could play football again. Alexa made sure others could keep living.
This year, we honor her legacy by raising money for the American Heart Association - because Alexa's life was shaped by her heart, and we believe no one should have to face these battles alone.
She may have left this world, but she left it better than she found it.
She lived with love.
She laughed with joy.
And she was a fighter.
Join us on September 13th, Alexa's birthday, as we gather in her memory to support heart research, advocacy, and hope for families like hers. Your donation isn't just a gift, it's a promise to keep fighting for those who can't.
Let's make sure every Alexa out there gets more time, more hope, more life.
Team Alexa
