In December 2023, 11-year-old Lexi Anderson’s life turned upside down. After getting dizzy and blacking out on the basketball court in November, she went through a series of tests before doctors diagnosed her with restrictive cardiomyopathy and placed her on a heart transplant list.
For this extremely active girl who loves basketball, volleyball, softball, swimming, rollerblading, fishing, riding horses, and showing dairy cattle and sheep, slowing down has been incredibly hard, says her mom, Tamala Anderson.
“She is on extreme restrictions now,” Anderson explains. “She is allowed to ride horses, and show cattle and sheep, but she has been told to pay attention to her body and stop if it is causing issues.”
Currently, Lexi is receiving care at Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee for her heart issues and is on the 1B list. Patients classified as 1B usually do not have to stay in the hospital for in-patient care. These individuals are given second-highest priority on the heart transplant wait list. Because the disease causes a thickening of her heart walls, doctors want to find a heart for Lexi soon.
An Overwhelming Sign of Support
Although showing livestock is allowed, Lexi has to approach shows differently now with her new diagnosis. For example, she recently had two minor episodes in the ring at Barron County Fair in Rice Lake, Wisc.
“Thankfully, she had her cousins on standby to grab her sheep if she had any episodes,” Tamala says. “Her cousins did come to her rescue, but Lexi is such a stubborn little girl with extreme determination that she did not give up and continued showing later in the evening.”
When Lexi’s market lambs just missed making the sale by two spots, her friends Hattie and Holly Hargrave wanted to help.
“They both were pretty sad about it. I mentioned they could sell one of their lambs and donate the proceeds to Lexi’s benefit to help her. They both instantly said ‘yes, let’s do it.’ No hesitation,” Hargrave says.
Holly reminded her mom that ‘the Bible says it’s better to give then to receive and God would want us to do this to help Lexi.’ So, they chose to donate Holly‘s lamb because it weighed more and that would help bring in more money for Lexi.
An Unforgettable Gift
On Friday, Carla asked Tamala if it would be ok for her girls to give this gift.
“I answered teary eyed that it would,” Tamala says. “Lexi was brought into the loop and took pictures with Holly and her lamb. On Saturday at the sale, the announcer let the bidders know what was going on, and the bidding went sky high.”
The first buyer bought the lamb for $55 per lb. and sent it back to be sold again. The second buyer bought the lamb for $50 per lb. He then waited to donate it back until the end of the sale. When he did, it was an amazing surprise for all of us! The third buyer bought the lamb for $43 per lb. and sent it back again. The fourth and final buyer bought the lamb for $30 per lb. The result? $27,412 to help the Anderson family through this unimaginably hard time.
“We live in a wonderful, caring community that steps up to help each other,” Hargrave says. “We never thought it would sell for that much. I was in amazement when they tallied the total sale price.”
Anderson says the cheering and applause was overwhelming during the sale.
“I may have cried openly throughout the whole thing,” she says. “The generosity the Hargrave family and the bidders showed was truly inspiring.”
The buyers included J&A Northwest Construction, Bob Lentz, Two Rivers Accounting LLC, and Dr. Don Peterson.
Following the sale, the kids went on to have a 50/50 raffle at the tractor pull. The carnival also donated a nice sum of money to Anderson’s fundraiser, Anderson says. The Junior Leaders even donated their tip money from the shake stand to help out their friend.
What’s Next for Lexi?
“There are lots of memories you receive over the years – some fade, while others remain strong,” Anderson says. “I believe this will be the fondest, strongest memory that will remain in our thoughts for the rest of our lives. The generosity and kindness our community has shown has become embedded in our souls. We will always remember this special time.”
For now, Lexi will continue to be monitored. In August, she will have a checkup appointment. In October, she will have a heart catheter procedure.
In a world where there is so much negativity, Anderson says it’s truly heartwarming to have witnessed this wonderful show of love that will provide strength and support as their family waits for a new heart for Lexi.
Follow Lexi’s story at https://www.loveforlexi.com/.
Editor’s Note: The family wishes to express a sincere thank you to the Hargrave family, Barron County 4-H, Barron County Fair, fair superintendent Kevin Roske, J&A Northwest Construction, Bob Lentz, Two Rivers Accounting LLC, Dr. Don Peterson, Barron County Junior Livestock Project and all the bidders at the Livestock Sale on Saturday, the organizers of the 50/50 raffle, Barron County Junior Leaders, the workers at the carnival during the fair, and friends and family who have been there every step.
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