MIDDLEVILLE -- Surrounded by classmates recently at Celebration Cinema South, Alexis "Lexi" Derosha's smile hid any inkling of the disease threatening her life.
"Today is probably a 17 on a scale of 1 to 10," said Lexi, ecstatic at the chance to be with friends from Thornapple Kellogg Middle School for a little while.
Lexi is battling a rare form of severe aplastic anemia that strikes only about three out of every 1 million people. It was diagnosed in March and has kept the 12-year-old out of school this year.
Her mother, Destiny Adgate, said doctors believe a virus attacked Lexi's liver. From there, her condition worsened, putting her in and out of the hospital, requiring surgeries, leaving her with few, if any, white blood cells to ward off infections or disease, and the inability for her blood to clot.
Since May, she has stayed alive with more than 100 blood transfusions -- now a twice-weekly routine. In January, Lexi is scheduled to receive a bone marrow transplant from an international donor at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, possibly the last option to beating the disease and one that doctors caution is still a longshot.
But Lexi has held onto her spunky attitude and isn't giving up. On the front of her lime green T-shirt is a quote she found online and has taken to heart: "When life puts you in tough situations, don't say, 'Why me?' Just say, 'Try me.' "
"I'm going to beat this," she reassures her middle school friends.
Thornapple middle school students annually have a holiday fundraiser for the children's hospital. This year, the drive took on a new emotional connection when students realized in a roundabout way they would be helping Lexi by helping the hospital.
On Friday, they brought a check for more than $2,250 to the theater, where radio station Star 105.7 FM hosts a fundraising event for the hospital.
In one week, the nearly 700 middle school students raised the money by selling candy, gum, doughnuts, paying to wear a hat, slippers or pajamas for a day, and gathering donations.
Seventh-grader Aiden Reigler gave $250.
"Every year my family donates to a family in need or something for Christmas. This year, we decided to give it to the fundraiser in Lexi's name," Aiden said.
Ethan DeVries, another seventh-grader, also gave big. Through a church program, his grandfather gave him $100, with the stipulation it had to be spent on a good cause or given to a charity. He decided to give it all to the hospital in Lexi's name.
Adgate is grateful for the support.
"TK has been amazing all the way around. She misses being in school so much, but the school has been great about helping us and being supporting and sending cards. And now this. It really says a lot," she said.
Seventh grade language arts teacher Stephanie Vandor tutors Lexi and helps with the student council-led fundraising. "We love doing this fundraiser every year, but this year even more. Lexi should be in my class with these kids."
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