I wish to have a quinceañera
Alexis
15
leukemia
Alexis Dances the Night Away
When all her friends were relaxing during spring break, 10-year-old Alexis was diagnosed with leukemia.
Soon after, she fell into extreme depression and anxiety. “She became very depressed that others could “see” her illness. Her looks changed dramatically and her personality became less like her,” Alexis’s mom Crystal said. “She quit any and all school and social events and just wanted to be in her room.”
Crystal said everyday she tried to put on a brave face for Alexis, but when she was alone, she cried, saying the pain of watching Alexis suffer was too much.
“I wanted nothing more in this world but to trade places with her. I tried my hardest to not question God’s journey for my baby, but you can’t help but wonder why? Why her?” Crystal said.
Alexis has been undergoing treatment for the past four years with no sign of remission.
“It kills me!” Crystal said. “The only thing I can tell her is, ‘Baby you got this,’ and be by her side through everything. It’s only us and I’m all she has.”
Crystal said she will never stop fighting with her daughter. They are in a team and take every obstacle together.
When Alexis found out about Make-A-Wish, she said it felt like a dream. Crystal said it was the first time she saw her light up in years.
She wished to have a quinceañera to celebrate the important milestone of turning 15.
Alexis looked and felt like a princess in her royal blue dress and danced the night away with her friends and family. She experienced all the quinceañera traditions, such as the changing of the shoes and a court.
“She usually isolates herself for fear of being judged, so to see her smile like she did before being diagnosed was the greatest thing ever!” Crystal said.
Crystal said the weeks following her party, Alexis couldn’t wait to show her oncologists the pictures. Alexis usually dreads doctors visits, but this time she couldn’t wait.
For just that night, she did not have to worry about meds, hospital visits, or blood work. She got to be a kid again!
Crystal, Alexis's Mom
“For just that night, she did not have to worry about meds, hospital visits, or blood work,” Crystal said. “She got to be a kid again!”
Alexis uses her quinceañera as a safe space. Whenever she feels down about herself, she goes back to that night and remembers how special and beautiful she felt.
“Make-A-Wish outdid themselves for my baby,” Crystal said. “And I am forever grateful for that! In every picture her smile shines through. She was a kid again with no worries!”
