Xavier Gaytan

Hi, this is Allison, Xavier's mom, I had the honor of raising Xavier for almost fifteen years. When I held Xavier for the first time I could see and feel his fearlessness, love, and curiosity, and I knew then that life with him would be exciting. As a young child, he was always smiling, laughing, wanting to hug and cuddle, and always wanted to be around people. He loved to dance, sing, ride his skateboard, and he always had so much style when it came to his hair and clothes.

My fondest memories of Xavier were Friday nights when we would order pizza or grab some cheeseburgers and then cuddle on the couch and watch movies together. I loved our "dance parties" in the living room and kitchen. I loved all of our trips to Southern California and the time we spent at the beach swimming and boogie boarding. I loved going to concerts and music festivals with him and his brother Alex. Most of all, I loved looking into his big beautiful eyes and seeing his smile.

I have been raising Xavier and his brother Alex as a single parent since 2011. I also have been self-employed since 2009. Of course, I never planned for a tragic event like this. I want to honor Xavier's life and share that experience with his family and friends in Seattle where he was born and in Phoenix where we have been living for almost nine years.

Our family plans to keep Xavier's spirit alive through art. We have some ideas on how we can provide more safe spaces for teens to express themselves artistically.