Our ‘larger than life’ daughter, Alaina Jena, came to us after already enduring quite a bit in her young life. Born blind and physically and mentally challenged, Alaina was not expected to live past the age of two. After suffering two strokes as a toddler, causing hemiparesis of the right side of her body and affecting the speech area of her brain, Alaina surpassed all expectations. She not only developed the ability to speak, but she sang at the top of her lungs. She did not just walk; she “ran” with a hop and a skip. Her pediatric cardiologist always chuckled and called her “a miracle.” Alaina’s gift of faith and her “can-do” spirit propelled her forward to live each day to its fullest.
She was not your typical teenager, yet Alaina still enjoyed school dances, singing in concerts, making up big words, and using them at every opportunity. She even spoke at her high school graduation (yes - even stating that she loved her teacher like “chopped liver”).
Alaina was witty and brought laughter with her unique perspective of life and her simple faith. One of her greatest gifts was the love and acceptance that she freely
gave to everyone she met. Alaina purely enjoyed conversations with people and was sincerely interested in your story. She would offer wisdom and comfort far surpassing any of her disabilities. Her blindness taught her to listen with her heart and to love each person without any bias or judgment.
Alaina was privy to many conversations and plans for our new business venture and wanted desperately to help and be a part of the family business. We had not yet determined a name when we lost her at the beginning of 2019. All our plans and excitement seemed to fade away just as she did. However, on September 14, 2019, her first birthday since leaving us, we encountered hundreds of beautiful monarchs near our home. The monarchs reminded us of her free spirit and touched each member of our family in so many special ways – bringing beauty and hope to our sadness and loss. The golden monarch was created in memory of our sweet Alaina Jena, and to honor her vision and excitement for life. It is our hope that the monarch will inspire you as well. Through business or fundraising partnerships with FlutterBuy, it will be a symbol of hope and life for others that have benefited from the different organizations that touched Alaina’s life. During one of the last conversations Alaina and I had the day she died, she asked me to tell her story. She would have been thrilled to know that her short life continues to make a difference for others!