VICTORVILLE-(VVNG.com): The family of an 11-year-old Victorville girl finally got the results to a long-awaited autopsy, nearly 7 months following her sudden death.
The unexplained death of Alexa Bailey came as a shock to the family of the healthy and happy little girl and the waiting for answers was just another difficult part of the tragic loss. Family described Alexa as an active little girl. She was a dancer, who danced with the Talent Planet and according to those who watched her dance, she danced beautifully. Those who knew Alexa talk about her beautiful spirit and her glowing smile.
Only about a year prior to her death, her family experienced the loss of her 14-year-old brother, Ivan Bailey on December 8, 2013. Although nothing could prepare the family for the loss of a child, with Ivan they had some warning of the possibility due to a leukemia relapse just months before. Alexa was close to Ivan, she loved her big brother and she even was a stem cell donor for him in an attempt to save his life.
The family began to move on with life, with memories of Ivan always in their mind and a piece of their heart taken with him. On the morning of December 28th, 2014 Darvin Bailey, the father of Alexa went in her room to wake her up to see if she wanted to go to the store with him. Alexa was laying under her blankets in her bed. When he went closer he noticed her lips were blue and her body felt cold. He yelled for Monica, his fiancée and she began to perform CPR.
Finally, after months of waiting and wondering, what could have happened to take the life of Alexa, the autopsy results are in. The cause of death being, Dilated Cardiomyopathy. According to the Mayo Clinic, dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle, where the ventricle stretches and thins (dilates) making it unable to pump blood the way a healthy heart would. The disease many times does not cause symptoms and it can cause sudden death.
According to the autopsy results, her heart was enlarged, also causing her spleen to enlarge. Although the family takes some comfort knowing that Alexa did not suffer, they miss the smile, her hugs and seeing her playing with her baby sister. They are unsure of the exact cause of the disease, they believe it could have been a virus or possibly even genetic.
“It brings us comfort watching her dance videos. Seeing her at her happiest when she was onstage helps us to accept that she’s dancing in heaven now, ” said Alexa’s Stepmother, Monica Masongsong.
For now, Alexa’s two sisters will be following up with doctors to check their hearts as a precautionary measure to make sure they do not have the same condition. Darvin said, “we appreciate all the love, support and prayers during this tragic time. Please keep Alexa in your hearts, don’t forget her infectious smile and her love for people!”
Share this:
