Alexia Martinez’s room looks like many other 12-year-olds’. But for the last year and a half, her childhood has looked a little different.
“She was diagnosed October 2024 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” Aimee, Alexia’s mother explains.
The diagnosis changed everything.
To protect her health, Alexia stopped going to school in person. Even simple things most kids take for granted, like attending a birthday party or seeing friends, became risks her family had to carefully navigate.
“I definitely missed seeing my friends in person and going to school and having the school routine,” Alexia says.
Weekly doctor appointments. And chemotherapy. At just 11 years old.
“The first month was um a full force of trying to get rid of all of the leukemia cells so that was the most intense part,” Aimee says.
“When I would be sick, I wouldn't do anything cuz I didn't feel good,” Alexia adds.
But even on the hardest days, Alexia found ways to keep being a kid.
She started a YouTube channel, tried new nail designs, and spent as much time with her family as she could.
When chemotherapy caused her to lose her hair, a donated wig from Wigs for Kids helped her through one of the most difficult parts of treatment.
Her mom, Aimee, was so moved by the experience that she donated her own hair too.
But these days, life looks a little different.
Alexia is now in the maintenance phase of treatment and only needs to go to the hospital every few months.
“She gets to live her normal life,” her mom says.
And today, she’s rocking a new look, her hair has grown back into a stylish bob.
“My dad had to teach me how to style my hair now that its short, I love it!” Alexia says.
And this week brought a milestone her family once could only hope for. She was promoted from Elementary school this week.
After more than a year of online learning, Alexia returned to school in person this spring.
And she didn’t just catch up, she excelled. Finishing her Elementary school chapter with a 4.0.
“For her to just jump right back in and just pick up where she left off and more was very um unbelievable but at the same time like that's my girl!” Aimee says.
The 4.0 she's worked hard to graduate Elementary school is impressive. But her family says what makes them most proud is the determination she’s shown through every challenge.
ABC 10 News asked her what advice she’d offer to any other child undergoing a similar situation; “You’ll get passed it,” she says.
A simple message from someone who knows just how hard the journey can be.
And for her mom, there’s a lesson in all of this too.
“You can do it,” Aimee adds,”You can do anything that you set your mind to. It's in you. You're capable. It's gonna be hard, but you have a community that surrounds you. You're never alone.”
A year ago, this family was learning how to navigate a life-changing diagnosis. Today, they’re celebrating milestones that once felt uncertain.
And while the road ahead still includes treatment, it also includes friends, school, big dreams, and a future filled with possibility.
“Anything could happen in life,” Aimee says. “It's how you overcome those challenges and yes you allow yourself to feel sad and to go through those emotions of heartache.”
…but you keep moving forward. And that’s exactly what Alexia is doing.
