Post Cancer Fertility Preservation for Lexie
Donation protected
UPDATES:
First, I need to start by making a few edits to some very important details to this campaign's story. As I said in my original posting, I created this campaign on my own without any request from Lexie or her blood family, nor did I seek any help or additional information on her story, but rather told it the way that I understood it. It appears that there were some mistakes on the facts of her story that caused some pain or conflict in some who read it. It was not, and is not, my intention to play the harp strings of emotion in order to capitalize on anyone else's tragedy. I deeply and sincerely apologize to anyone my misunderstanding and articulation of the facts may have caused pain to. However, I will caution anyone who seeks to discredit or diminish Lexie's story or how the tragedy involved within it has and continues to affect her life. If you think that her surviving, while someone so near to her did not, and having to live with that and be reminded of it for the rest of life, did not have, at the barest minimum, a profound impact upon her, then I would ask you to read up on "Survivor's Guilt" which is now considered a component of PTSD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of The American Psychiatric Association, look within yourself and finally ask yourself "Doesn't this child have the right to have her story told, hasn't she earned the right to articulate, or have someone else articulate on her behalf, her perspective of how those experiences effected her, shaped her and molded her in to the young woman she is today?" Or, conversely, "Is the pain, remorse and guilt accompanying that tragic time somehow the exclusive property and right of others and any mention of it an affront to, and theft upon, the rightful owners?" I may well be wrong in my belief, but it is my belief still that she has suffered enough and absolutely has the right to tell her story from her perspective, and though she lacked the courage to do it herself, I took the liberty and did so to the best of my ability. I have revised the original story below (in the places indicated by bold italics) to reflect the actual facts as they have been recently articulated to me. However, I can assure you that 100% of the funds go directly from Go Fund Me to Lexie and are isolated in an account solely in her name and wholly reserved and dedicated for the declared purpose and intent indicated herein. Second, no one has, or ever will, profit from this campaign. If any moneys over the amount required are raised, any and all of that amount will go to the organizations that have helped Lexie in the form of a donation to those causes. Lastly, we have revised the goal amount of the campaign to $7,500.00. This is due to the finalization of Livestrong and Faring Heartbeats' commitments to provide the pharmaceuticals needed for the procedure. They have since acquired, packaged and delivered the entire amount of medications needed directly to Lexie, almost $9,500 worth in value!!! With that in mind, we have lowered the goal amount and must extend our warmest heartfelt gratitude to those organizations and, in no lesser degree, to all of those who have contributed to and shared this campaign so far. From our family to yours, thank you. We will never be able to express adequately with words what your contributions and sharing have meant and will continue to mean to us for the rest of our lives. We will forever see a piece of each of you all's light reflected in the light of this precious child's eyes each and every time we look upon its face. Through that light we will always be reminded that he or she received the opportunity to be BECAUSE OF YOU ALL and your selfless grace and generosity. Thank you all so very VERY much.
I'm going to start and end with the same message. It is my sincerest hope that we can band together and give to this girl, this AMAZING young woman, a cancer survivor herself who has already given so much to others like herself. Not only has she given relentlessly already, but has dedicated the rest of her life to giving hope and happiness to childhood cancer patients and their families. Let's give a small portion back to her now so that she can live the dream she never hoped to dream, a child of her own when the time is right. If we exceed our goal 100% of the unused funds will be donated to Livestrong and Faring Heartbeats, organizations who have committed to providing the drugs needed for the process, so that other survivors, like Lexie, can find that they have help when they need it most.
Even if you don't read this or you can't donate, PLEASE help by sharing it and passing it along. If we reach 100,000 and only 25% gave a dollar, we would exceed our goal! Please pass it on!
It is undeniable, to most that know her, that she is an amazing young woman with an amazing story who is on an amazing journey. I hope that anyone who knows her better, or for longer than I, will forgive me if I don't get all the details of her past exactly right. I'm doing this unsolicited, without help to write it and Lexie and I didn't come in to each others' lives until she was 14.
Her journey started much as anyone her age's does until it took a terrifying turn early. Lexie was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive and highly malignant form of soft tissue cancer, along the muscle around the orbital socket above her left eye at age 4. Thank providence that it was on a part of her body where the tumor was visible very early and therefore treatment was successful. Her step-sister's cancer was in a location that was not immediately detectable and therefore, tragically, was not found as soon.
This year of treatment in her life along with its pain, suffering, struggles and untimely loss left it's mark on her life emotionally and physically. The treatment was aggressive, VERY aggressive, and it took the sight in her left eye and left her with a permanently altered appearance on that side and tear ducts that do not function. Though she is beautiful in every way she can't help but hide this from the world the best she can. The deeper and more poignant mark, it left on her spirit.
This particular mark is not a dark score on the psyche or some twisted puckered emotional scar that one might expect from such a tribulation, but rather a spirit of triumph, a bright burning passion to pay it forward ETERNALLY. This positive mark on her spirit gave rise to a resonate desire and pressing need, deep within her, to GIVE to children who suffer the trials of childhood cancer. She decided early to do that by becoming one of those who helped her the most in her darkest hours and brought some measure of happiness to an otherwise dismal era. She dedicated herself to becoming a Child Life Specialist. I don't know how long she has held that one fixed and unwavering goal, I don't even think she does, except if asked she will say "For as long as I can remember." However, I can tell you that from whenever that early moment was until now, NOTHING can dissuade her. She doesn't care that it's an underpaid, in relation to the degree level, and largely unknown profession in Texas or that it must be one of the most emotionally difficult, albeit rewarding in so many ways, careers to endure on the planet. She is DETERMINED to give to those kids.
In Junior High, with a vision and drive that is virtually unheard of at that age, Lexie expounded on her desire to give and her passion for the "Go Gold for Childhood Cancer" awareness program. From what started as a Family, Career & Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) project, Lexie promoted and publicized an existing charitable foundation [originally organized by her step-sister's aunt as a St. Baldrick's Foundation Head Shaving Event to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer victims. It would eventually evolve and advance under her paternal step-mother's efforts in to the charitable foundation dedicated in the honor and in memory of her life and name] within her school and throughout her community. The foundation did, and does, a lot of wonderful things for childhood cancer patients and their families, unfortunately most of which the full details remain unknown to me, but primarily to my knowledge it had a toy drive leading up to the holidays and delivered what ended up being TRUCKLOADS of toys and gifts to the children being treated at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where they were treated, for Christmas. Though it was not her goal or the intention of her project, nor was it in the continued growth and development of it, Lexie's project promoting and advancing her step-mother's foundation garnered her a gold medal at the FCCLA National Level two years in a row.
This accomplishment, in conjunction with academic excellence, ultimately lead to her being accepted in to the prestigious Texas Academy for Leadership in the Humanities (TALH) at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX, following her sophomore year of High School, where she completed her junior/senior years of High School and freshman/sophomore years of college concurrently. She showed aptitude and excelled in college level mathematics and A&P, even as a 16 year old, at TALH. A fact that I shamelessly used to try and steer her towards nursing, pediatric oncology or even biomedical engineering so she could still give to the children of childhood cancer, but make a better living while doing it. Once again, however, and much to her credit, she would not be moved from her single minded determination to realize her life long dream and goal! Currently she is in the process of finishing her Junior year at Lamar University while working full time as an Assistant Manager at the local Stage store with plans to obtain her B.S. next year and go on to a M.S. in Child Life and work as a Child Life Specialist for a hospital facility in her home region that does not currently have such a position on staff, filling that need in a facility that is currently going unmet.
A little over a year ago, when Lexie was about to turn 18, her OBGYN recommended that she see a fertility doctor due to some irregular things happening and some numbers she didn't like in her test results. Back in 2004, when she was administered the radical and aggressive cancer treatment, the doctor's told her parents that the aggressive treatment would most likely save her life, but it would also likely take her vision and her fertility. That said, there wasn't a lot of expectations going in to the fertility appointment. After the exam and test results were given to us the fertility doctor said he couldn't really tell much from a single cross sectional sample of her levels etc. and to come back in a year for a second marker and a definitive prognosis. Well... now we are all caught up to current day and that set of tests just happened. The results are both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because, at this moment, she is still fertile, but a curse because, as the doctor put it, "she has the reproductive system of a healthy 44 year old woman, but at age 19." He told us that if she wanted to have children that she would either have to get pregnant now or have to harvest her eggs NOW or there was little hope. She knows she can't have a family now and realize her goals and dreams, so that leaves egg harvesting as the only real option. However, we just do not have the money for the process, which is not covered at all by insurance.
It is my sincerest hope that we can band together and give to this girl, this AMAZING young woman, a cancer survivor herself who has already given so much to others like herself. Not only has she given relentlessly already, but has dedicated the rest of her life to giving hope and happiness to childhood cancer patients and their families. Let's give a small portion back to her now so that she can live the dream she never hoped to dream, a child of her own when the time is right.
If we exceed our goal 100% of the unused funds will be donated to Livestrong and Faring Heartbeats, organizations who have committed to providing the drugs needed for the process, so that other survivors, like Lexie, can find that they have help when they need it most.
First, I need to start by making a few edits to some very important details to this campaign's story. As I said in my original posting, I created this campaign on my own without any request from Lexie or her blood family, nor did I seek any help or additional information on her story, but rather told it the way that I understood it. It appears that there were some mistakes on the facts of her story that caused some pain or conflict in some who read it. It was not, and is not, my intention to play the harp strings of emotion in order to capitalize on anyone else's tragedy. I deeply and sincerely apologize to anyone my misunderstanding and articulation of the facts may have caused pain to. However, I will caution anyone who seeks to discredit or diminish Lexie's story or how the tragedy involved within it has and continues to affect her life. If you think that her surviving, while someone so near to her did not, and having to live with that and be reminded of it for the rest of life, did not have, at the barest minimum, a profound impact upon her, then I would ask you to read up on "Survivor's Guilt" which is now considered a component of PTSD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of The American Psychiatric Association, look within yourself and finally ask yourself "Doesn't this child have the right to have her story told, hasn't she earned the right to articulate, or have someone else articulate on her behalf, her perspective of how those experiences effected her, shaped her and molded her in to the young woman she is today?" Or, conversely, "Is the pain, remorse and guilt accompanying that tragic time somehow the exclusive property and right of others and any mention of it an affront to, and theft upon, the rightful owners?" I may well be wrong in my belief, but it is my belief still that she has suffered enough and absolutely has the right to tell her story from her perspective, and though she lacked the courage to do it herself, I took the liberty and did so to the best of my ability. I have revised the original story below (in the places indicated by bold italics) to reflect the actual facts as they have been recently articulated to me. However, I can assure you that 100% of the funds go directly from Go Fund Me to Lexie and are isolated in an account solely in her name and wholly reserved and dedicated for the declared purpose and intent indicated herein. Second, no one has, or ever will, profit from this campaign. If any moneys over the amount required are raised, any and all of that amount will go to the organizations that have helped Lexie in the form of a donation to those causes. Lastly, we have revised the goal amount of the campaign to $7,500.00. This is due to the finalization of Livestrong and Faring Heartbeats' commitments to provide the pharmaceuticals needed for the procedure. They have since acquired, packaged and delivered the entire amount of medications needed directly to Lexie, almost $9,500 worth in value!!! With that in mind, we have lowered the goal amount and must extend our warmest heartfelt gratitude to those organizations and, in no lesser degree, to all of those who have contributed to and shared this campaign so far. From our family to yours, thank you. We will never be able to express adequately with words what your contributions and sharing have meant and will continue to mean to us for the rest of our lives. We will forever see a piece of each of you all's light reflected in the light of this precious child's eyes each and every time we look upon its face. Through that light we will always be reminded that he or she received the opportunity to be BECAUSE OF YOU ALL and your selfless grace and generosity. Thank you all so very VERY much.
I'm going to start and end with the same message. It is my sincerest hope that we can band together and give to this girl, this AMAZING young woman, a cancer survivor herself who has already given so much to others like herself. Not only has she given relentlessly already, but has dedicated the rest of her life to giving hope and happiness to childhood cancer patients and their families. Let's give a small portion back to her now so that she can live the dream she never hoped to dream, a child of her own when the time is right. If we exceed our goal 100% of the unused funds will be donated to Livestrong and Faring Heartbeats, organizations who have committed to providing the drugs needed for the process, so that other survivors, like Lexie, can find that they have help when they need it most.
Even if you don't read this or you can't donate, PLEASE help by sharing it and passing it along. If we reach 100,000 and only 25% gave a dollar, we would exceed our goal! Please pass it on!
It is undeniable, to most that know her, that she is an amazing young woman with an amazing story who is on an amazing journey. I hope that anyone who knows her better, or for longer than I, will forgive me if I don't get all the details of her past exactly right. I'm doing this unsolicited, without help to write it and Lexie and I didn't come in to each others' lives until she was 14.
Her journey started much as anyone her age's does until it took a terrifying turn early. Lexie was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive and highly malignant form of soft tissue cancer, along the muscle around the orbital socket above her left eye at age 4. Thank providence that it was on a part of her body where the tumor was visible very early and therefore treatment was successful. Her step-sister's cancer was in a location that was not immediately detectable and therefore, tragically, was not found as soon.
This year of treatment in her life along with its pain, suffering, struggles and untimely loss left it's mark on her life emotionally and physically. The treatment was aggressive, VERY aggressive, and it took the sight in her left eye and left her with a permanently altered appearance on that side and tear ducts that do not function. Though she is beautiful in every way she can't help but hide this from the world the best she can. The deeper and more poignant mark, it left on her spirit.
This particular mark is not a dark score on the psyche or some twisted puckered emotional scar that one might expect from such a tribulation, but rather a spirit of triumph, a bright burning passion to pay it forward ETERNALLY. This positive mark on her spirit gave rise to a resonate desire and pressing need, deep within her, to GIVE to children who suffer the trials of childhood cancer. She decided early to do that by becoming one of those who helped her the most in her darkest hours and brought some measure of happiness to an otherwise dismal era. She dedicated herself to becoming a Child Life Specialist. I don't know how long she has held that one fixed and unwavering goal, I don't even think she does, except if asked she will say "For as long as I can remember." However, I can tell you that from whenever that early moment was until now, NOTHING can dissuade her. She doesn't care that it's an underpaid, in relation to the degree level, and largely unknown profession in Texas or that it must be one of the most emotionally difficult, albeit rewarding in so many ways, careers to endure on the planet. She is DETERMINED to give to those kids.
In Junior High, with a vision and drive that is virtually unheard of at that age, Lexie expounded on her desire to give and her passion for the "Go Gold for Childhood Cancer" awareness program. From what started as a Family, Career & Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) project, Lexie promoted and publicized an existing charitable foundation [originally organized by her step-sister's aunt as a St. Baldrick's Foundation Head Shaving Event to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer victims. It would eventually evolve and advance under her paternal step-mother's efforts in to the charitable foundation dedicated in the honor and in memory of her life and name] within her school and throughout her community. The foundation did, and does, a lot of wonderful things for childhood cancer patients and their families, unfortunately most of which the full details remain unknown to me, but primarily to my knowledge it had a toy drive leading up to the holidays and delivered what ended up being TRUCKLOADS of toys and gifts to the children being treated at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where they were treated, for Christmas. Though it was not her goal or the intention of her project, nor was it in the continued growth and development of it, Lexie's project promoting and advancing her step-mother's foundation garnered her a gold medal at the FCCLA National Level two years in a row.
This accomplishment, in conjunction with academic excellence, ultimately lead to her being accepted in to the prestigious Texas Academy for Leadership in the Humanities (TALH) at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX, following her sophomore year of High School, where she completed her junior/senior years of High School and freshman/sophomore years of college concurrently. She showed aptitude and excelled in college level mathematics and A&P, even as a 16 year old, at TALH. A fact that I shamelessly used to try and steer her towards nursing, pediatric oncology or even biomedical engineering so she could still give to the children of childhood cancer, but make a better living while doing it. Once again, however, and much to her credit, she would not be moved from her single minded determination to realize her life long dream and goal! Currently she is in the process of finishing her Junior year at Lamar University while working full time as an Assistant Manager at the local Stage store with plans to obtain her B.S. next year and go on to a M.S. in Child Life and work as a Child Life Specialist for a hospital facility in her home region that does not currently have such a position on staff, filling that need in a facility that is currently going unmet.
A little over a year ago, when Lexie was about to turn 18, her OBGYN recommended that she see a fertility doctor due to some irregular things happening and some numbers she didn't like in her test results. Back in 2004, when she was administered the radical and aggressive cancer treatment, the doctor's told her parents that the aggressive treatment would most likely save her life, but it would also likely take her vision and her fertility. That said, there wasn't a lot of expectations going in to the fertility appointment. After the exam and test results were given to us the fertility doctor said he couldn't really tell much from a single cross sectional sample of her levels etc. and to come back in a year for a second marker and a definitive prognosis. Well... now we are all caught up to current day and that set of tests just happened. The results are both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because, at this moment, she is still fertile, but a curse because, as the doctor put it, "she has the reproductive system of a healthy 44 year old woman, but at age 19." He told us that if she wanted to have children that she would either have to get pregnant now or have to harvest her eggs NOW or there was little hope. She knows she can't have a family now and realize her goals and dreams, so that leaves egg harvesting as the only real option. However, we just do not have the money for the process, which is not covered at all by insurance.
It is my sincerest hope that we can band together and give to this girl, this AMAZING young woman, a cancer survivor herself who has already given so much to others like herself. Not only has she given relentlessly already, but has dedicated the rest of her life to giving hope and happiness to childhood cancer patients and their families. Let's give a small portion back to her now so that she can live the dream she never hoped to dream, a child of her own when the time is right.
If we exceed our goal 100% of the unused funds will be donated to Livestrong and Faring Heartbeats, organizations who have committed to providing the drugs needed for the process, so that other survivors, like Lexie, can find that they have help when they need it most.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kiera Taliaferro
Organizer
The Woodlands, TX
Alexis Martin
Beneficiary