Duluth, Minnesota Mar 21, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - Meet Alexis Timmer, who, when a baby herself, survived a devastating form of leukemia that robbed her of her ability ever to conceive or carry a child. Alexis will be celebrating 27 years of life this August, as well as four years of love and marriage. She and her husband Chad now own and live on a Family Farm in Twig, MN, a perfect place to raise a happy family. Unfortunately, due to leukemia, she cannot on her own bring a baby into their comfortable and waiting home. She and Chad have chosen surrogacy as their best option, and we are looking to acquire enough funds to work with a local agency to set everything up. They are well-educated and hard-working individuals (Chad in healthcare and Alexis in pre-K and childcare provider). They have a wonderful home in a perfect location for raising a family but simply cannot do this independently. Attached is a summary of Alexis's survival story from the Cloquet MN "Pine Journal," which noted her celebration of 15-years as a childhood cancer survivor (indeed Alexis is Duluth, MN's, own spunky version of "I Am Shauna Rae".)
The only noticeable (difference) about this petite teen is her size. At only four feet five inches, her friends affectionately refer to her as "Mini," since it's unlikely she'll ever get any taller. But inside, she's got a heart of a lion. That's because Alexis has defied all odds and gone on to live a comparatively normal life after being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (A.L.T.) a particularly devastating form of childhood cancer, at the age of only five months. ...indeed it is a cause for celebration since at one time doctors only gave the infant girl less than a five percent chance of living through the next 48 hours. After suffering from a serious ongoing series of illnesses during her first few months of life, Alexis was rushed to the Emergency Room of St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth on Christmas Day where doctors determined her white blood count was alarmingly high. In the months that followed Alexis underwent a variety of chemotherapy treatments that virtually ravaged her small body, and in the end, doctors determined that she would need a bone marrow transplant if she were to survive. A long wait ensued to see if they could find an appropriate donor, and there was one eventually located. He or she withdrew in the final moments before transplant leaving Alexis's life once again hanging in the balance. With no time to spare doctor's suggested an experimental treatment that involved the use of stem cells from the blood of an infant umbilical cord to transplant into Alexis's system in order to enrich her weakened blood. In all, Alexis stayed in the hospital for a month and a half following the transplant procedure, but even after release, she had to remain in isolation for 100 days. Eventually, this little girl began to rally.
After much time and effort, the treatment did work, and we celebrate Alexis being with us still today! Now we sincerely hope we can bring about the joy of adding a baby to our family:):)
Media Contact
Tracy Timmer, Tykes N Tots Learning Center timmermark@msn.com 218-348-5888 1813 Old E Chub Lake Rd, Carlton, MN 55718 http://tykesntotspreschool.com
