Alex is no stranger to struggle; she has dealt with a long list of health challenges while remaining clever and creative. For example, all of her iron gets used on strengthening her will, and she forgets to keep any back for her body. Over the past few years, we have gone from Girls on the Run and May Court to struggling to make it through a school day. While we are currently in the middle of seeing doctors and specialists all over the island, we are also navigating what appears to be a lifelong condition, all while trying to pass high school.

Alex has recently been diagnosed with a form of Dysautonomia (a broad term for conditions caused by a malfunctioning autonomic nervous system (ANS), leading to problems with involuntary bodily functions like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature control) called POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).

The practical side of this is that on Good Days, she seems like a happy, normal teenager. During a Flare her body turns to soup. She doesn't have the strength to stand. She may struggle to lift her hand high enough to brush her hair. She will probably faint. All of this has led to missing over 25 school days of her sophomore year.

My goal is to raise the money to buy her a lightweight motorized wheelchair that she can use at school on days she is too weak to walk. Any money raised beyond the cost of the chair will go to other health and accessibility needs Alex has, such as special food or clothing her doctors have recommended.