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The Story of Alex
Every person has a story to tell. ?Some stories are meant to inspire.?Some stories sympathize.?Some stories are full of warmth and joy.?And some stories we wish would transpire only from our dreams, if it all.
This is Alex’s story…
He grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a suburb just outside of Chicago. He had two loving parents, Jody and Gary, who adored watching their little boy run around in the backyard of their quaint single family home, his precious blond hair flopping about and sweet smile that made even the most miserable of people grin. He had an older sister, Chelsea, who shared the close bond of best friend, playmate and cheerleader. In 1994, when Alex was 6 years old, his parents divorced. He lived with his mother and older sister and spent Wednesday evenings and every other weekend with his father. Soon after the divorce, Gary began a relationship with Joyce who would become the mother of his younger sister’s Haley and Danielle. They idolized their big brother.
He grew up excelling at baseball, basketball and football. He swam and played hockey and soccer too. Always active and upbeat, he charmed the pants off his teachers, schools mates, parents, and all the girls. He spent his summers at sports camp and sleep away camp. He was a friendly child, constantly surrounded by his peers. He loved warm weather and enjoyed every moment of his trips to Palm Springs, California to visit Jody’s parents/his grandparents, Marilyn and Herb. He looked forward to his yearly trips to Connecticut to visit Gary’s parents/Alex’s grandparents, Assunta and Germaine, and the other many aunts, uncles, cousins and loved ones out East. He was light-hearted, considerate, thoughtful and cordial – always holding doors, assisting the sick or elderly, and putting others first. Eventually, Jody remarried and Alex gained a step father in Stephen, and two new step brothers, Josh and Chris. Alex was so excited to have big brothers to look up to and pal around with.
He went to Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, where he maintained a 3.3 GPA. He continued to play sports, a bond of which his father was so proud to share with him. His parents’ love for Motown and R&B music greatly influenced him as he began a special relationship with rap and hip hop. He became fascinated by the culture. The music, the vibe, the clothes, the sounds, the feeling, the food, the message – he loved all of it. His favorites were Notorious BIG, 2Pac, Lil Wayne, Bone Thugs in Harmony and Wu Tang Clan. During high school, he had two significant girlfriends. His experience with his relationships taught him how to give love, respect and loyalty.
During high school he became involved in the usage and abuse of marijuana. His lifestyle choices ended his involvement with sports. He became more and more distant. He started hanging out with a new crowd, a rowdy group with a sketchy reputation. His marijuana use led to experimentation with harder drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and acid. During his junior year of high school he got a DUI and was charged with possession of 19 grams of marijuana. His driver’s license was deemed invalid for six months. During that time, he worked, went to school, dealt with his mother’s divorce, and attended mandatory court appointed drug counseling in which he went to AA meetings. It seemed as if things were turning around. By the end of high school he was accepted to six universities including Indiana University, University of Iowa and Michigan State University. He chose Western Illinois University as the college to take him into adulthood.
At WIU he maintained good grades, played basketball in his spare time, met many new friends and enjoyed his new found freedom. Prior to beginning his sophomore year he came down with a mysterious illness that affected his digestive system. He had multiple ulcers and spent months in hospitals. Time lingered and there was still no diagnosis for his condition. Finally, after 5 months of being hospitalized on and off he was diagnosed with gastritis, a disease that affects the stomach and intestines and was said to be caused by poor diet. An unhealthy diet was not the only element causing his digestive problems.
In November 2008, just before his final exams, he abruptly returned home from school. Unbeknownst to his family Alex began using prescription drugs and involved himself with the wrong people. He was terrified to go back to school. His parents took him back to Macomb, where Western Illinois University is located, in attempt to organize a schedule for his finals. A couple of weeks later he was all set to go back to Macomb in the accompaniment of his father to take a few of his tests. A few days before he was to go back, Alex died.
On Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 6:30 pm, Alex was found dead in his bedroom by his mother. After a month long investigation, a toxicology report found that Alex died of a heroin overdose. Marijuana and the anti-depressant, Xanax, were also found in his bloodstream.
His family was destroyed. Their sweet little boy was now gone forever. His friends were devastated.
He died before he even had a chance to help himself. He died before he knew he was addicted. He died cold, scared and alone. He died because of drugs.
Every person has a story to tell. You should be able to tell it yourself.
This is Alex’s story…
He grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a suburb just outside of Chicago. He had two loving parents, Jody and Gary, who adored watching their little boy run around in the backyard of their quaint single family home, his precious blond hair flopping about and sweet smile that made even the most miserable of people grin. He had an older sister, Chelsea, who shared the close bond of best friend, playmate and cheerleader. In 1994, when Alex was 6 years old, his parents divorced. He lived with his mother and older sister and spent Wednesday evenings and every other weekend with his father. Soon after the divorce, Gary began a relationship with Joyce who would become the mother of his younger sister’s Haley and Danielle. They idolized their big brother.
He grew up excelling at baseball, basketball and football. He swam and played hockey and soccer too. Always active and upbeat, he charmed the pants off his teachers, schools mates, parents, and all the girls. He spent his summers at sports camp and sleep away camp. He was a friendly child, constantly surrounded by his peers. He loved warm weather and enjoyed every moment of his trips to Palm Springs, California to visit Jody’s parents/his grandparents, Marilyn and Herb. He looked forward to his yearly trips to Connecticut to visit Gary’s parents/Alex’s grandparents, Assunta and Germaine, and the other many aunts, uncles, cousins and loved ones out East. He was light-hearted, considerate, thoughtful and cordial – always holding doors, assisting the sick or elderly, and putting others first. Eventually, Jody remarried and Alex gained a step father in Stephen, and two new step brothers, Josh and Chris. Alex was so excited to have big brothers to look up to and pal around with.
He went to Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, where he maintained a 3.3 GPA. He continued to play sports, a bond of which his father was so proud to share with him. His parents’ love for Motown and R&B music greatly influenced him as he began a special relationship with rap and hip hop. He became fascinated by the culture. The music, the vibe, the clothes, the sounds, the feeling, the food, the message – he loved all of it. His favorites were Notorious BIG, 2Pac, Lil Wayne, Bone Thugs in Harmony and Wu Tang Clan. During high school, he had two significant girlfriends. His experience with his relationships taught him how to give love, respect and loyalty.
During high school he became involved in the usage and abuse of marijuana. His lifestyle choices ended his involvement with sports. He became more and more distant. He started hanging out with a new crowd, a rowdy group with a sketchy reputation. His marijuana use led to experimentation with harder drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and acid. During his junior year of high school he got a DUI and was charged with possession of 19 grams of marijuana. His driver’s license was deemed invalid for six months. During that time, he worked, went to school, dealt with his mother’s divorce, and attended mandatory court appointed drug counseling in which he went to AA meetings. It seemed as if things were turning around. By the end of high school he was accepted to six universities including Indiana University, University of Iowa and Michigan State University. He chose Western Illinois University as the college to take him into adulthood.
At WIU he maintained good grades, played basketball in his spare time, met many new friends and enjoyed his new found freedom. Prior to beginning his sophomore year he came down with a mysterious illness that affected his digestive system. He had multiple ulcers and spent months in hospitals. Time lingered and there was still no diagnosis for his condition. Finally, after 5 months of being hospitalized on and off he was diagnosed with gastritis, a disease that affects the stomach and intestines and was said to be caused by poor diet. An unhealthy diet was not the only element causing his digestive problems.
In November 2008, just before his final exams, he abruptly returned home from school. Unbeknownst to his family Alex began using prescription drugs and involved himself with the wrong people. He was terrified to go back to school. His parents took him back to Macomb, where Western Illinois University is located, in attempt to organize a schedule for his finals. A couple of weeks later he was all set to go back to Macomb in the accompaniment of his father to take a few of his tests. A few days before he was to go back, Alex died.
On Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 6:30 pm, Alex was found dead in his bedroom by his mother. After a month long investigation, a toxicology report found that Alex died of a heroin overdose. Marijuana and the anti-depressant, Xanax, were also found in his bloodstream.
His family was destroyed. Their sweet little boy was now gone forever. His friends were devastated.
He died before he even had a chance to help himself. He died before he knew he was addicted. He died cold, scared and alone. He died because of drugs.
Every person has a story to tell. You should be able to tell it yourself.
Alex and his youngest sister, Haley Laliberte (13)
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