A Very Special Delivery
Fraternities can get a pretty bad wrap. But the brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at UCLA are getting a lot of attention for all the right reasons. And it all has to do with the unlikely friendship they've developed with a courageous, little girl named Lexi who is fighting for her life!
Credit: CBS Los Angeles
It all started when Lexi and her mom got a little bored, and a little hungry, and decided to have some fun.
12-year-old Lexi Brown is battling sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the connective tissue in your body. Lexi's cancer has spread to her lungs, and she had to be airlifted to the Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA in California.
So when one evening, Lexi and her mom decided to post a sign in the window asking for a pizza delivery, it was just for giggles. They didn't expect to receive any pizza. And they certainly never expected what came next!
Credit: CBS Los Angeles
It just so happened that Lexi's hospital room faced Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) frat house on the UCLA campus. And if there's one thing frat guys understand, it's just how therapeutic a warm and gooey slice of pizza can be! So when the brothers of SAE saw Lexi's sign, they showed up with a hot pizza, a dozen roses and a guitar!
Credit: CBS Los Angeles
For the next half hour, the group of 20-something guys sang songs and hung out with this sweet girl. And once they had gotten to know her, they couldn't stay away! The started visiting her regularly — bringing gifts, playing games and singing more songs. Sometimes the hospital would bend their visitation rules and let the boys stay until midnight.
Lexi became an honorary little sister to the SAE brothers. And so, they decided to use one of their house traditions to honor the brave girl.
Every year, for the holidays, the brothers would deck the frat house out in lights. This year, they chose to pair white lights with purple — Lexi's favorite color. At the very top of the house they wrote Lexi's name, underneath a flashing red heart. Lexi was delighted when she looked out her window and found the touching surprise.
Credit: CBS Los Angeles
Lexi is back home now, continuing to fight against the cancer in her tiny body. But she now has an entire frat house praying for her healing!
The brothers plan to keep Lexi's tribute up throughout the holiday season. And members from all over the country are donating money to help cover the family's medical bills. It's a relationship that no one could have anticipated, but just goes to show that our God works in mysterious ways!
You can watch the fraternity brothers and Lexi below:
h/t: Little Things