My name is Bruce Fraser and along with my daughter Jenna, we've started this Go Fund Me campaign to support our friend, and fellow actor. We first met Alex on the set of "White Christmas" at Storybook Theatre in Calgary in 2012. At that time, his Mom became quite ill and we sort of adopted Alex for a while until she recovered. Many in the Calgary Theatre community know Alex and also know of his personal struggles. You understand the effects that his autism has on his life and how much he relied on his Mom for her support and she on his. For those of you who don't know Alex, you should understand that he's capable of limited self support and though a virtual savant as a performer, struggles with daily tasks that many of us take for granted. He is currently suffering from extreme depression and anxiety and is struggling to manage without the continued support he needs.

Back in May of last year, Alex lost his beautiful mother Diane, after a decade long health battle which included multiple cancer diagnoses and remissions and left her with many chronic conditions. Being Diane’s primary caretaker for the last 12 years has limited Alex’ career and education opportunities as he always prioritized taking care of his Mom. He has now been thrust into being completely independent, emotionally, physically and financially with a limited foundation and no safety net.

Diane was an incredibly kind and generous soul and was the first person to offer a safe place for any struggling young person to get back on their feet, I know it would mean a lot to her for our community to rally around her son in any way we can.

Diane and Alex moved to Calgary in 2012 to escape an abusive situation and have had limited family support since but quickly immersed themselves in the Calgary community theatre scene. Diane served on the board at Storybook Theatre and earned the nickname “Mama B” for her warm energy towards everyone.

Within weeks of his mom’s passing, Alex had to move out of their shared apartment, forcing him to pay out of pocket for a storage unit for seven months until he could move into a large enough suite, now jammed with all their collective belongings.

Settling Diane's estate is has been a long and taxing process, and though partial access has just recently been granted, most of her legacy is still tied up in probate and he is understandably reluctant to burn through her meagre savings, simply to support himself and manage the additional costs associated with her sudden passing.

For example: In October of last year, the car that had been left to Alex was broken into, badly damaged and written off by insurance. As many of us have experienced, the offer given by the insurance company was inadequate to replace the old vehicle with something equivalent and Alex chose to contest the claim. Not only was this loss of transportation a practical and sentimental loss, but many valued possessions were in the car at the time that were not covered under his auto policy. Diane's home rental insurance had expired, and Alex had no money to renew it. Without effective transportation, Alex had to turn down work contracts leading to additional financial strain and accumulated debt. Since then Alex has experienced frequent food insecurity just so he can pay rent but struggled to get to the food bank with no vehicle for most of last year. The food bank itself is under such pressure these days that he's still only able to get a hamper about once every 6 weeks.

By January, Alex managed to scrape together enough funds to buy an older SUV but it has broken down on him twice, which has led to more financial strain as he has struggled to fix the car which now has limited use. Due to his unique disabilities, Alex is unable to take public transportation and needs a dependable vehicle to be both his safe space, as well as to get him around to his many medical appointments or any work he can get. He continues to contest his claim with the insurance company and has elevated it to the supervisory level with no success. He will likely have to accept their original offer just to clear the file and claim back the additional payments he continued to make during the period he was waiting to settle.

Alex's grief counsellor has helped to connect him to other community programs and apply for rent subsidies, but the wait-list is currently 3 years long and he needs short-term financial assistance to meet his daily needs until Diane's full estate and the auto insurance claim are settled.

All of the programs he has been referred to have long wait times, and he is continuing to go into debt just to cover his basic needs. Ever the survivor, Alex has been barely scraping by for over a year now, saddled with so many additional expenses and it is really taking its toll on him. He’s not been able to continue his psychologist’s appointments, which are so necessary to his recovery, and his depression and anxiety, are overwhelming to the point where he had to give up his employment this summer.

Alex did apply for and receive AISH last year, but it’s barely enough to pay for his rent and utilities, let alone maintaining the beater car and additional costs he incurs due to his special needs.

We are asking that you consider contributing to this campaign so Alex can clear his accumulated debts incurred by his mother’s passing and have the funds to top up the insurance money to purchase a reliable used vehicle. We are also asking that your contributions provide enough money to supplement his daily living and medical expenses for the next year while he takes the time to deal with his grief, and find new strategies to deal with his autism without the direct support he had from his mom. With your help, and support, we hope Alex can then properly process the loss of his beloved mother, who was his only biological family, and get to a point in his life where he can move toward being fully self supporting.