Alex Roche

Alex has a twin brother and both were born early due to twin to twin transfusion. Essentially, Alex used his brother’s food and fluid. When he was 7 days old, his intestines burst, causing a stroke which destroyed his cerebellum. Doctors did not think
he would live and prepared his parents for taking him off of life support. Alex is resilient and survived and surpassed medical expectations. Both twins have multiple disabilities, but Alex’s are more extreme. He can walk short distances with a walker, but tires easily. Alex attends a special school geared toward teaching him in a way that he best learn. He is very cognitively bright and is verbal, but does struggle with his speech.

Alex finds it hard to make friends with peers and has difficulty picking things up and moving without his walker. ELLA is helping Alex walk with the use of a special service vest with a handle and is a friend out in public.

Alex and ELLA have been a working team since 2014. Alex is walking better with the aid of ELLA and she is helping him feel more comfortable out in public.