PERSEVERANCE

Student fights through years of ailments to achieve her dream

At age 9, Alexis Curry was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At 20, she is still dealing with the repercussions.

High doses of radiation and chemotherapy helped rid Alexis of the brain tumor. But, it also got rid of her teeth.

“It was a nightmare,” she said. “I had to get 25 pulled at the same time.”

Alexis started college with dentures, implants and a medical bill that would make most college tuitions like a bargain by comparison. She and her family have started an online account to collect donations, hoping to put a dent in the last $13,000 of Alexis’ $53,000 medical and dental bill.

Alexis lives in constant pain. She has diabetes, a damaged pituitary gland, arthritis, issues with hormones, low bone mass and osteopenia.

Her mother, Adrianne, spends hours researching her daughter’s ailments and seeking treatment options that will help Alexis handle her chronic pain syndrome.

Alexis and Adrianne spend at least two days a week on the road, driving to Dothan or Montgomery for acupuncture, massages and Reiki. Alexis also has two or three appointments a week with specialists for her ailments.

Somewhere between chiropractors and periodontists, between gall bladder surgeries and acupunctures, Alexis attends college.

She plans to transfer from LBW Community College to Troy University in the fall. One day, she hopes to help students like herself. She wants to be a special needs teacher.

As a student at Luverne, Alexis was sick more days than she was well. Still, she loved school and tries not to let her ailments hold her back. In fact, she plans to finish school early.

Alexis is a self-proclaimed “study freak.”

“It sounds unrealistic, but she’ll sit up all night studying,” her mother said.

When Alexis is in the hospital, she relies on her mother to collect her schoolwork so she can keep up with her classes.

“I like doing schoolwork,” she said. “And I’ve always wanted to teach. I guess teaching and doing schoolwork go hand in hand.”

Life has never been easy for Alexis, but there are three constants that have kept her going.

“The lord, my faith in God and my mom being by my side,” she said.

To help Alexis become debt-free, go to http://www.gofundme.com/alexiscurry.