Biography

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Alexis Silva is a fifteen-year-old, second-degree black belt, who always had a vision for community service and a passion for music. In 2023, she faced-off against an adrenal gland tumor that changed the course of her life, leading her to write, sing, and record the video for, ‘The Fight’s Not Over Yet’. She did this just days before her grueling, eight-hour surgery to remove the tumor her physicians believed to be cancerous.

The journey began in March of 2023, when Alexis was admitted as an emergency patient to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), and after three days of countless tests, including CAT scans, MRIs, PET scans, etc., and more than 50 vials of extracted blood, she was thought to have an extremely dangerous and cancerous adrenal gland tumor. Only 30 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with these tumors per year.

Alexis was discharged from the hospital as the emergency surgery couldn’t be performed until two other specialized surgeons were located to join her own pediatric surgeon slated to perform the procedure. She needed many people on her team for this surgery and throughout. She needed an endocrinologist, oncologist, pediatric general surgeon, pediatric vascular surgeon, and pediatric nephrologist surgeon (and many more) to help Alexis fight this battle and survive her surgery. It was thought that Alexis may have had to lose some or all of one of her kidneys to remove the 10 cm tumor.

The doctors were also concerned about the strong possibility that, during the surgery, the tumor was wrapping around the vena cava, the largest vein in the body which provides blood from both legs and the abdomen to the heart. This life supporting vessel could possibly be injured during the procedure and, if not handled quickly, could have resulted in Alexis dying on the operating table. If this tumor was not taken out it would also risk the tumor growing larger and bursting the vena cava. As well as her body continuing to endure extreme hormone offsets caused by this hormone secreting tumor (if left untreated would kill her). 

During this waiting period to get the team of specialized surgical doctors, Alexis became increasingly concerned about getting the tumor out. She called every day to see when she could have the surgery to have the tumor removed. She went to school one week before her surgery enduring more CT scans, blood draws, Oncology, Surgery, and Endocrinology appointments going back to the hospital nearly every day for appointments.  Just before her life saving surgery, her song ‘The Fight’s Not Over Yet’ was released, further empowering her to continue on. Additionally, her manager, Grammy-nominated producer, musician, and composer Damon Elliott, was able to get her song quickly uploaded to iTunes.

Alexis endured an eight hour surgery and a nearly two-week hospital recovery period.  She walked away with her life and a twelve-inch incision across her abdomen. During this period she was unable to eat, walk, talk, or do anything without extreme pain. She was unable to get out of bed on her own or sit in a chair. Her once fear of needles turned into five IVs and two tubes going to her stomach. 

She continued getting many blood draws, and even a lung x-ray after a post op fever.  However after she was discharged her recovery was far from over. She continued in physical therapy for many months after, trying to get back her previous strength. She went home with a walker and still wasn’t able to participate in any sports for nearly the rest of her school year. She continued going to many appointments to continue to monitor her hormones.   

This powerful and frightening experience compelled her even more to dedicate herself and her new life to those less fortunate, especially those facing the threat of cancer. She felt she had a second chance at life and every time she looks at her scar, she remembers the thoughts and the prayers that helped her and now desires to pass those prayers and feelings of hope to others. She wishes to do that, not only through her foundation, but through her music.

During her two separate admissions to the hospital, both during her diagnosis and admittance, she got to see many kids in her ward who had been affected by cancer, even memorials of children who lost their life to cancer. The distraught look on the face of the parents of those kids as well as the suffering children, brought great sadness to Alexis. Her first hospital stay was in the Oncology ward. Where she witnessed the suffering and cruelness of childhood cancer. She saw the effect on the kids, parents, siblings, and everyone around. 

She went to the childhood cancer clinic many times and saw kids getting chemotherapy and fighting cancer and realized it’s not something that is so distant from us. She saw the kids in her own community who are fighting this terrible disease.  She thought if she survived this surgery, she would dedicate herself to helping others fight and end this horrific disease, thus changing the course of her life and giving her a new purpose in life. 

In many ways, Alexis is like any other teenage girl. She enjoys tennis, hanging out with her friends, watching movies, playing basketball, swimming, riding her bike, going to the beach, and helping the community. The development of her musical talents was very important to her. Music has been a part of her life since she was a small child, and this can be attributed to her family. Her father, born in Puerto Rico, played the guitar and sang in the church band two to three times per week. Her mother sang professionally in an all-girl group.

From the time she was able to hold a microphone, Alexis has been singing. As she matured, she started to write her own songs, both lyrics and piano accompaniment. Throughout her life, she has performed in a wide range of venues, including family parties, company parties, professional boxing, MMA matches, professional basketball games, and open competition in Sacramento and Seattle.

Alexis is exceptionally grateful to the kind, talented artists & athletes who took time from their busy schedules to give words of encouragement to her. Those videos and phone calls of kind words changed her life in a highly positive way. The wonderful people who helped her include Dionne Warwick, Billy Ray Cyrus, Firerose, Gladys Knight, Mike Tyson, Dianne Warren, Sofia Carson, Donnie McClurkin, the talented kids from Hits! The Musical, Brice Young, Trenton Irwin, and Alicia Newman. The individuals mentioned above were extremely inspirational, further strengthening her belief that she could overcome all the odds stacked against her. Alexis is forever grateful to these superstars. If she were ever to become famous, Alexis wants to be able to return the favor to other children in similar situations. She also wants to let these superstars also know that moments like this can change and shake the course of so many people’s lives, and she thanks them.

Alexis has decided to utilize her musical talent to raise awareness and money for children with cancer and cancer related conditions. She has also become a Goodwill Ambassador and joined forces with a variety of charities to help give scholarships and grants to young adults who are working to improve themselves.

She not only understands the importance of education, but also would like to help those interested in the field of music. She will be helping pick the individuals who will benefit most from $1000 scholarships in six various categories, including: Children in Need, Music Based, Kids of All Countries, Puerto Rican Heritage, Caribbean Heritage, and one very important to her, Psychological Needs. Alexis will also be working to increase funding to the scholarships. She feels “blessed by so many to have received the support I did during my dark times.” The multiple scholarships will be given to children in the United States, Puerto Rico, Caribbean Islands, and those all over the world suffering with heath issues and related matters.

Alexis is currently working on her first full-length EP. She is in the process of releasing several songs this year. The first song, “The Fight’s Not Over Yet”, has already been released and is a direct result of her fighting off the adrenal gland tumor.  Her second single “Lose Myself” is coming Spring of 2024. She’s a prolific songwriter and has 30 additional songs already in the making.

Alexis is currently working on her first full-length EP. She is in the process of releasing several songs this year. The first song, “The Fight’s Not Over Yet”, has already been released and is a direct result of her fighting off the adrenal gland tumor.  Her second single “Lose Myself” is coming Spring of 2024. She’s a prolific songwriter and has 30 additional songs already in the making.

Alexis feels that it is now part of her life’s mission to bring relief to those kids and young adults who are facing trouble financially, with health, social issues, and cancer related issues. She is also dedicated to those children who love music and may be suffering mentally, psychologically, socially, and emotionally.