In memory of Alexa Rose Veit

My name is William Veit.

Alexa Rose Veit was my first child, and I still remember the day she was born and finding out that she did, in fact, have Down's Syndrome. It was a rollercoaster of emotions: happiness and excitement for the birth of my very first beautiful child, but also upset and worried about how life would be for her in a world that can be cruel, especially for people with special needs. However, it didn't take long to see that Alexa was a fighter, a strong yet gentle soul that wasn't going to let her disability hold her back.

Alexa had more love and compassion in her than anyone I've ever met. She never met a stranger, and was always there with a hug when you needed or wanted one. She would never really give much thought about herself or her own health, but would worry herself sick, even to the point of tears, if somebody she loved was sick. I sincerely don't think that angel had a bad bone in her body; it just wasn't who she was. No hatred, all love. Her smile could brighten anyone's day. And let's not forget the SASS - Lord, the amount of sass this child could muster was amusing and actually quite impressive. She loved causing mischief, and always had some sass to throw your way if you said anything about it.

She has six siblings, three brothers and three sisters, who she absolutely adored. Her siblings were the light of her life. She also loved the TV show "My 600-lb Life" and music, including all things Kids Bop (which I'm pretty sure she owns almost every CD). But the one thing she loved more than anything (sometimes maybe even more than us) was food! Anyone that knows her knew that at some point in a conversation with her, they would be asked what they had for breakfast/lunch/dinner; her mom and stepmom knew to expect one question from her every single day, without fail: what's for dinner?

In July of 2019, Alexa was diagnosed with leukemia. Of course, that wasn't going  to knock her down. In fact, she was excited that she would soon be bald. After        only 30 days, she beat cancer and was in remission. Days before Halloween this    year, Lex left school feeling unwell. Her mother took her to get tested for COVID-19, and it turned out that they were both positive. Within a few days, Alexa's         mom was hospitalized and put on a ventilator. Alexa's own condition slowly deteriorated until her doctor asked for her to be taken to a local hospital for some tests, and it was discovered that Lex had developed pneumonia. She was airlifted to   Vanderbilt, where her care team spent the next couple of days doing everything   in their power to make her better, including putting her on a ventilator. My wife    and I were also positive for COVID, therefore unable to follow her to Nashville.    Fortunately, her mother was taken off the ventilator and was rushed to Nashville to be by Alexa's side just before it was decided that there was nothing left that      could be done to save Alexa. On November 15, 2020, at 11:12 AM, Alexa passed  away.

I still honestly can't even comprehend how this happened. Just over a week ago,    she was at my house arguing with me about how much schoolwork she needed to do. I've really been struggling to accept the fact that the incredible human being   that made me a father has been taken away from us, but I find peace in knowing    that she no longer suffers.

Over the last few days, I've had quite a few people ask if we had a GoFundMe set up. At first I was against the idea, but then it dawned on me that instead of just      accepting donations for our family, it would also be an opportunity to give back to the community in Alexa's honor. So after days of consideration, here we are. I've  decided that all donations received will go towards the following:

• Leftover funeral expenses. first and foremost

If we are able to clear those up then any leftover would be broken up to cover the following
• The church Alexa attended that helped immensely in countless ways after           Alexa's leukemia diagnosis.
• Donations, including food and clothes, to both Ballard and McCracken County.
• Donations in the form of money and/or resources to Monroe Carell Jr.                   Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN for taking such amazing care of my daughter over the course of her illness.
 • Money split between parents to help catch up on bills and give the children on     both sides of family as good of a Christmas as we can in light of them losing their    sibling we know it's going to be a hard hard day on all of them

I want to wrap this up by thanking everyone who has reached out to show love      and support for both sides of Alexa's family. I also want to give a huge thanks           from  the bottom of my heart to anyone that donates. If you are unable to donate and are wondering what else you could do in Alexa's honor, please remember to   always wear a mask, wash your hands, practice social distancing, etc.

I want to personally thank my ex-wife Kim Veit for the amazing job she did taking care of our daughter over the last year and a half, she is to be commended for            being such a great mother to our daughter, especially in her time of need.

Many thanks,
Bill