Help Alexis's Family with Funeral Expenses
With a heavy heart, we are announcing that Alexis Marie Sample passed away on Easter Monday after a lifelong battle with numerous health problems. Alexis was born November 2, 2000 to Tiffany Kasten and William Sample with a rare condition that was never diagnosable. She was born with no myelin cells in her brain, which contributed to her being fully paralyzed and having an uncommon seizure disorder. Due to being nondiagnosable, insurance often did not cover medical needs for her. She also had a damaged lung and three holes in her heart. The holes closed up over time, but her lungs got worse. In 2021, she had severe pneumonia that created a hole in one of her lungs and continued to cause complications for the next four years. After lots of prayers, the hole closed up, but the lung tissue died, causing it to be more difficult to breathe and resulting in the need for a permanent trach.
Tiffany, her mother and main caregiver, as well as father, William, had a special language with Alexis to understand her due to her inability to speak or move. They were very in-tune with her and knew when she was not feeling well and when something was wrong. They were also strong advocates for her and have had to make many sacrifices for her along the way. Tiffany had to quit her job a few times to tend to Alexis during in-home nurse shortages and when Alexis needed extended ICU stays.
Two weeks before Alexis passed, Tiffany took her to the hospital for concerning symptoms, such as extreme heart rate fluctuations and labored breathing. Alexis was airlifted from Perry County Memorial Hospital to St. Louis University Hospital and evaluated. They found a lesion on her pancreas and removed a liter of fluid off her stomach. Doctors could not determine why she continually had infections in her blood nor what was causing constant fluid build up in her lungs and stomach. She underwent numerous gruelling procedures.
Tiffany Kasten took remarkable care of her daughter, and Alexis kept defying the odds by living longer than expected thanks to the care of her parents, in-home nurses, hospital staff, and respiratory therapist.
Tiffany’s whole world has been shaken by the loss of her daughter. Alexis wasn’t just her child - she was a light that shaped so much of Tiffany’s daily life, heart, and strength. As a devoted mother to all her children, Tiffany somehow balanced the impossible: caring for Alexis’s complex medical needs while also being present and loving to Christian, Serenity, and Savannah. But Alexis required a level of care that created an unbreakable bond between the two of them - a bond forged through sleepless nights, silent communication, and the kind of sacrificial love only a mother can give. Now, with Alexis gone, a piece of Tiffany’s soul feels missing. The pain of losing her is immeasurable, and the void left behind will be felt forever.
We’re hoping to ease just a small part of Tiffany’s burden so she can focus fully on mourning the loss of her eldest daughter, while also comforting and caring for her other children as they navigate this heartbreaking grief together.
Please consider donating financial assistance to cover funeral expenses and to help her loving parents and three siblings during this difficult time. Alexis's surviving siblings are Christian (16), Serenity (12), and Savannah (9).
We also have a Meal Train set up for them if anyone would like to contribute in that way. https://mealtrain.com/v2kq0y
Funeral arrangements to be paid for include cremation, followed by a service and burial. The family would also like to get her a nice headstone. The final viewing and services will be held on Tuesday, April 29th.
Alexis was a beloved daughter, sister, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, niece, cousin, and patient. Please keep the family in your prayers during the long road ahead.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28
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