Flash forward to 2010. I got a recommended link on Facebook from a few of my closer friends (when I used to use FB) It was called Prayers for Alix Reese. What happened was she was driving on the evening of May 27th 2010; taking friend to the friends house, or.. the friends boyfriends house maybe? Basically a gang shootout broke out and she got caught in the crossfire. She was in very bad shape, everyone was worried she would die. But she did not die. She was paralyzed, and had some other complications. She had to live in an assisted care center. I added her as a friend on Facebook and sent her a few messages even though I didn't really know her. We later followed each other on Instagram. I got to know her better after this.
She and I shared many interests and we talked a little bit. mostly about cats (:P) The more I got to know her the more I liked her. I decided I wanted to hang out with her, but I have crippling anxiety and I was scared. I don't know why I was scared but as you may know, anxiety doesn't make sense. She would have been kind to me, and she wanted to visit with people. She even said she was getting less and less visitors as people grew older, moved away, got busy ect. I didn't want to tell her I wanted to meet up, because I wanted to make sure I would NOT flake out. I stopped driving in 2013 because my schizophrenia symptoms being very bad, and I was over medicated at first and it was just too dangerous. I also used to freak out whenever I left my house, I have missed so many things because everything gave me extreme anxiety; and I would not be able to sleep for a day or days before I did anything. My symptoms would grow worse without sleep (of course) so I was very unreliable. So I knew I needed to be a little stronger first. I continued to keep in touch with her and I considered her as a great person to talk to. She always had great fashion and hair which I truly loved and, she began painting and I really loved what she created.
So in January I decided that I was ready to maybe go visit her. My mental health was better, and I have been driving again. I talked to my sister in law about Alix and she was friends with her (of course, everyone who met Alix loves her) and had visited her in the past and written her letters in the past. She told me we could go together to see Alix and that she felt bad she had not seen her in a while. I felt pretty happy about it, but it never came to pass because our transportation situation was a little weird. I really feel if she had not died we would have gone. Even though I was not close to Alix I feel incredibly bad that all my chances to know her better are gone. My sister in law texted me last Tuesday to tell me Alix had passed away. I was not alone in feeling a little robbed, many of the speakers said they felt this way as well.
So many people deeply loved this girl. She had a sort of energy that just was contagious. Even her celebrity "crush" Norman Reedus felt her magic each time they met. He posted a tribute to her on Instagram, and he sent the most beautiful flower arrangement today with a note. Seriously how cool is that, that even a busy celebrity understood what was lost when she died.
She had a great sense of humor, and she was probably one of the bravest people ever. She was into a lot of cool hobbies and interests. She was friendly and if you were feeling down she knew what to say to straighten things out. She was sassy and a truly one of a kind gal. There is the obvious of course, she was paralyzed and she almost never let it get her down. She even had a "Rebirth" Day party every year on the day that she was paralyzed. Her closer friends and family celebrated it with her. She was such an optimist, and not in a fake way...she was authentically strong and she didn't put up with shit. I didn't know until the funeral about her rate of acceptance of her life being turned upside down, but it was pretty fast. She knew she was alive and that she had to live her best life. Honestly I have not really ever been that strong. I admired her for it. I almost hate talking about this aspect of her..because I know she never wanted her injury define her. So it feels cheap to just talk about how she faced this terrible event, and its repercussions with such grace and bravery.
The person who shot her, from what I understand was actually found and charged. He got eight years, I think this was with a plea deal. I believe the plea deal stated he couldn't be charged with anything if she died from her injuries, which she did. I hope they are able to do something about this. It makes me disgusted that he got more time in jail for drug charges than almost instantly killing someone. He killed her though. It's disgusting and makes my stomach turn.
The service was beautiful, many different types of people were there. I stood quietly in the back, I felt bad because we weren't close. But I really went because I admired and liked Alix, and my sister in law was very sad and didn't want to go alone.Everyone looked so beautiful who was attending and the people who spoke were very moving. I don't do well at funerals since my father died, I am a true empath and I know what loosing someone so special feels like to those closest to them. I did not want to get overly emotional because it truly wasn't my place. I tried to think that maybe it was ok that I went, because I wanted her parents to feel all the love that everyone there felt. I found that when I lost my Father suddenly that every person at his funeral whether I knew them or not, close or acquaintance just helped me feel all the love that he generated. It was precious to me. I hope Alix's closer friends and family all the love and sympathies in the world. I hope that this is respectful to her memory and doesn't overstep my boundaries. But truly, she was a great person...she shone so bright even through our limited interactions. RIP
If you want to know more about her here is her website:
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