Alexa Bekkerus

I am Alexa Elizabeth Bekkerus, AKA “Alex,” and this is my story.

I was born on 3/14/1997 and I died in my home on 3/3/2025. I was 27 years old. My momma is Cindy Trane, and my dad was Loren Bekkerus. My childhood was spent with my brother Cody on our farm and lake place and we found endless ways to entertain ourselves. Maybe some of the stuff we did with the horses was a wee bit dangerous but we lived through all of it and I had a wonderful childhood. Cody and I graduated from Pelican Rapids High School and both of us went off to Concordia College for our undergrad degrees. From there I went to Madison Wisconsin for Pharmacy School. I came back to Pelican Rapids and started work for Thrifty White Pharmacy in Perham. I made some amazing friends along the way through my childhood and college years and am grateful for their love and support, fun times, but more importantly their friendship.

On January 15, 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Mayo Clinic determined it had metastasized to my bones and gave me a 22% chance of making it 5 years. At 22 years of age I was given a death sentence. The beginning of my grown-up life, yet the start of the end of my life. Up until this I had hardly ever been sick a day in my life. Now all of a sudden my life was on a ticking clock.

I made peace with all this.

Then I made the decision to make the absolute best of the time I had left.

Mom, Cody, Rachel, and I took every opportunity to go on amazing trips to Italy, Greece, Mexico, Florida, Nashville, Washington DC, ski trips, and Hawaii twice. These were fun and memorable times, but at the end of the day what I really cherished most was spending time with my family. If we weren’t on a trip, I loved being at my home with my dog Oliver, my horses, my momma, and of course my Bro Cody and Rachel his amazing wife. (Hey Cody—what’s up—chicken butt!) and Beth and Roy. We would all sit around the table playing games, laughing, eating, and this brought me so much joy. Being with family and playing games is perhaps what I am going to miss the most. I was so fortunate to stay healthy for so long and give credit to the doctors at Mayo Clinic for the reason I lived as long as I did. 4 years and 9 months of good health.

In December my oncologist told me the chemo was no longer working and that I was going to die in less than 6 months. The cancer had moved to my lungs. Not a surprise as I felt something was happening. We took one last trip to Hawaii in January and shortly after that I was put on oxygen and was in and out of the hospital.

God makes every person on purpose for a purpose. For whatever reason I fulfilled my purpose on earth that God intended for me and said it was time for me to come home.

God said ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’...and he didn’t. God truly blessed my life with a family that loved and cared for me and I was so fortunate. My momma promised me she would be with me to the very end and she was as she held me in her arms until I took my final breath and now I’m in the arms of Jesus free of pain and able to breathe again. I lacked for nothing in my life and left this earth with no regrets.

What I want to leave you all with is this…from the day of your birth, death comes walking towards you. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. But he will catch up to you at some point. Life is made up of moments, don’t miss them because you will never get them back again. Treasure every day.

In a way, knowing when you are going to die is actually a sort of blessing. It gives you time to get things right in your life. You never assume you are going to have another day. Jesus and I had many talks over the years and I know for sure that I will spend eternity in heaven with all the people and animals I loved.

I guess I’m supposed to end this with people and family who passed before me and who are left behind. I’d rather say I am now with all the people that passed before me and you who are still living…well, see you one day.

Love,

Alex

A memorial service will be conducted for Alexa on Saturday, March 15th, 2025 at Trinity Lutheran Church of Pelican Rapids beginning with a time of visitation at 10am, with formal services starting at 11am. A time of food and fellowship will immediately follow.