Alex Palmer is an 18-year-old cheerleader at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, known for her smarts, bubbly personality and energetic support for her teams.
But now, she's the one receiving a ton of support as she faces a cancer journey and a tough battle ahead of her.
The Cuyahoga Falls teen, who plans to attend Ohio State University in the fall, was stunned by the diagnosis. Still, she remains grateful to her community and her classmates, who have rallied in several ways to support her during a difficult time.
She's also maintaining a very positive attitude and is prepared to fight the cancer.
"The support is almost like motivation, like everybody just keeps pushing me," she said. "I want everyone to know that I'm confident that I will beat this."
During the boys' varsity basketball game on Tuesday between SVSM and Walsh Jesuit, fans and students on both sides wore pink—Alex's favorite color—in honor of her. The SVSM team won the game.
Friday at school was also declared a "pink day," with students and staff having the option to donate $2 towards a growing fund to help Alex and her family.
"If anyone can beat it, it's her, and she's so positive about it despite how negative it really is," said her best friend, Georgia Deitrick.
Another close friend, Ava Heiser, said Alex "never fails to make us laugh," and she feels it's important for Alex to know how much she's loved.
"It's really great to see that so many people are supporting her," Ava said. "She is very optimistic, which honestly keeps all of us very optimistic through this.
In January, a mass in Alex's left foot was diagnosed as a rare cancer known as Ewing sarcoma. She initially assumed the pain was the result of a sprain or a broken foot.
Alex said the cancer had spread to two spots on a lung. She started chemotherapy this week and has been told her chemo treatments could last eight months.
"We only saw it in the left lung. That was a big eye-opener. That was really where the cancer took a turn," she said.
The school has been selling pink #AlexStrong T-shirts and wristbands. At last count, more than 300 shirts and about 500 wristbands have been ordered, with plans to sell more.
Another friend and classmate, Gus Khayyat, said it's hard for fellow teens to come to grips with the sudden diagnosis.
"When I heard the news that Alex had it, it was a very big reality check for me, and I was like this really can happen to anyone," he said.
A GoFundMe page has also been established with the goal of raising $75,000 to help the family with medical expenses and other costs. As of Friday afternoon, more than $60,000 had been raised.
"I didn't expect the GoFundMe to go viral and news interviews, like I just wasn't expecting all of this," Alex said.
Her mother, Regina Palmer, described Alex as "fearless" and is very proud of her courage.
"We're not going to worry about things that might or might not happen. We always think today only," Palmer said.
Alex, who exudes positive energy as a cheerleader, plans to use that as she fights cancer.
"I just want to thank everyone for all the support and all the motivation you have given me. It means so much," Alex said, "I just never thought this community was capable of providing this much support to me and my family during this rough time."
CLICK HERE to help support the Palmer family.
