about us

The Lexiebean Foundation was created by us, Joseph and LeaAnn Falabella, after our nine-year-old daughter, Alexandra, passed away from an infection while receiving treatment for Medullablastoma on October 5, 2009. Alexandra, or Lexiebean as we liked to call her, was diagnosed with Medullablastoma on September 26, 2006. Two days later, on her sixth birthday, Lexie underwent brain surgery and began chemotherapy shortly thereafter. Lexie did not have it easy and endured long hospital stays throughout her treatment, which included a one-month hospital stay after her bone marrow transplant in April of 2007. During these hospital stays Lexie’s mom would think of ways to make her daughter, and anyone else sharing the hospital room, feel as much at home as possible. In an effort to keep Lexie’s spirits high LeaAnn would decorate her room with blankets, throw pillows, stuffed animals and pictures of our family. This brought a smile to Lexie’s face as she especially loved to look at photos of herself with her younger siblings, Anthony and Ava.

During the extremely difficult time of her illness and treatments, we were fortunate to have the support of some great charities. These charities offered to pay bills as well as provide emotional support to our entire family throughout our daughter’s treatment. Over the course of three years we learned that while these charities are wonderful, there are far too few of them. Due to the overwhelming number of families that are in need, the resources of these charities are stretched thin. Realizing (firsthand) such an overwhelming response to people in need, we created The Lexiebean Foundation. We will pursue, plan and raise money to support families through community fundraisers, while providing the financial and emotional support that will allow parents to concentrate on their child’s wellness.

In addition to the above, we will also provide care packages to families during extended hospital stays. These packages will include (but are not limited to) blankets, pillows, games, books, hospital gift cards for food, parking, gift shop and purchases. Our mission is to make children feel as comfortable as they can while alleviating some of the stress associated with any hospital stay.

We also plan to offer emotional support through an extended network of parents who have been through similar experiences. When Lexie was first diagnosed, we were both beside ourselves. We didn’t know which way to turn, and didn’t have anyone, with experience, to guide us through. We firmly believe it is a tremendous help when parents have a tight circle of support to help confront emotions and make informed decisions.