The Children's Dress Up Closets are Open!

On June 25th we celebrated the first Dress Up Closets Opening at Children's Medical Center Dallas. Generous supporters, volunteers, family and friends gathered to make this day a celebration to remember. Young patients were given the star treatment as they walked down the red carpet that lead to a room full of dress up fun. Everywhere you looked there were princesses, ninjas, superheroes and cheerleaders all beaming with joy. It was a very grand opening indeed. A happy day - and Happiness is Healing.

* Thank you to Hitachi - High Technologies of America for sponsoring the closets

* Thank you to Amy Pennington Photography for donating your ability to capture the most precious of moments and supplying us with a slideshow of pictures we will forever cherish

* Thank you to J Aiken of LifeNPortraits for donating your photographic talent so these special children could take away a permanent keepsake

* Thank you to Valerie of Cakes by Valerie in Keller for donating the amazing cake

* Thank you to our donors, especially Little Adventures for supplying us with so many great costumes the kids loved

* Thank you to all our character friends who made the day for those children

* Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this dream come true

Dress Up Closets Opening at Children's Medical Center Dallas

June 25th we will celebrate the opening of two Dress Up Closets at Children's Medical Center of Dallas! Below you will find the stories of the boy and girl whose memories we are honoring. These children were inspirations to thousands as they valiantly fought their diseases with "strength to teach the teachers, faith to reach the preacher, belly laughs and eyes so beautiful."

Princess Alexa's Dress Up Closet

Alexa was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma on December 12, 2005, when she was almost two. She fought for 2 1/2 years until June of 2008 when her weakened immune system allowed an unidentifiable infection to grow in her lungs. Within a matter of two weeks Alexa went from looking and feeling relatively healthy at home to the ICU at Children’s with septic shock and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Alexa passed away on June 25, 2008 cradled in the arms of her mother and father.

Whenever possible, Alexa lived as close to a normal life as she could. She was in gymnastics, went to pre school, played with her brother, made friends, and rode as many carousels as she could. Alexa was seen in princess dresses everywhere she went and quickly became known as “Princess Alexa”. When she was able, Alexa was encouraged to play as much as she wanted. Playgrounds and carousels were a special part of healing for little Alexa. The last week she was alive, Alexa dictated a list for her mother of all the things she wanted to do when she got better. Number one was “Go to a pink park” and number two was “Get a pink dress”. It was only fitting to start a foundation in her memory that would carry on her greatest loves: dress up and play.

Master Blake's Character Cave

Blake was a Super Hero to many; he just needed to find the right cape. Blake started experiencing issues with various illnesses at age 2. The illnesses would seem minor and then grow into something more dangerous and more complicated. The illnesses didn’t always seem to fit together and the symptoms did not tie him into any one diagnosis. He was diagnosed multiple times only to follow an apparent dead end path that created more questions and sometimes more sickness. After 30 plus surgeries and endless days in the hospital, sometimes for months at a time, Blake lost his fight after 6 years of sickness on May 1, 2003 to what should have been a simple virus.

Blake was a Super Hero to many and he used his alter ego to hide from the trouble and pain of living in a hospital or in a clinic or tied to I.V poles. Blake was able to use his Super Hero abilities to create fun in places where most couldn’t see it. He could throw on a cape and sore around the hospital and delight and marvel, all the Doctors and nurses. His pain and sickness could disappear if only for a moment because he was no longer Blake, he was Batman, or Robin, or NightWing, or the Red Power Ranger and nothing, no sickness, no surgery, no disease could ever beat our Super Hero.

Children are a wonderful thing, in that they have learned to escape realities into a safe world simply by wearing a cape. Blake used his costumes to bring light into a world of suffering and pain and discomfort. The simple act of playing super hero, or conquistador, or pirate can let them remember they are kids and they can still enjoy life. It also reminds those of us around them, they are kids and we should enjoy them.

Mary Kay Fundraiser

In some form or another, little girls never stop dressing up. As we get older, the method just changes. From princess dresses and tiaras, we move to make up and fancy shoes. The Princess Alexa Foundation is pleased to have Mary Kay support our Closet Opening with makeup for the older girls in treatment. A girl should always feel beautiful!

Do you know a woman who is in need of feeling beautiful? Know of a young person freshly graduated who could use a stock of cosmetics before heading off to college? Would you like to help celebrate the childhood spirit of seriously ill children through dress up and play?



Alli Carrasco is a Mary Kay Consultant who has generously offered a portion of her profits for the month of June and July to be given to The Princess Alexa Foundation!

Visit her website to place an order or leave a comment for Alli to contact you for more details. Thank you, Alli!

Follow Princess Alexa Foundation on Twitter!