Alex,
Yesterday, while working in my office, I heard my wife crying downstairs. When I asked her what was going on, she mentioned that your mom had provided her your blog address and she was reading your story. I thought Irma was having just another ‘emotional moment.’ This morning, Irma shared the blog address with me and I am extremely happy that she did. Over the past couple of years, I have seen you at the Bocce games with your family but have never taken the opportunity to sit and speak with you. Even though it may appear otherwise, I am very introverted and it takes a long time for me to be comfortable talking with people and making new friends.
As I watched your videos and read through your posts, I was overwhelmed by your accomplishments and the inspiration you provide to others. You helped me to revisit how much I take so much for granted and the challenges that people less fortunate face on a daily basis. More importantly, you helped me to understand the love and care that our families provide.
Thank you for inspiring me to be a better person.
God bless you and your family.
Dale
Thank you Chuck Barberini for the nice letter of recommendation.
I have known Alex for most of his life during that time he has had countless people tell him what he couldn’t do. All that Alex does is prove people wrong, by overcoming every obstacle set before him. His positive attitude is not only an inspiration to me, but to everyone that he encounters.
Good luck Alex,
Chuck Barberini
Recently I spoke at Christ the King grammar school and many of the students chose to write me letters. These letters meant so much to me, and I was amazed at how I had touched their lives. I also was so impressed at the level of understanding and maturity these kids had for people with different issues. I have posted some of their letters below:
Dear Alex,
I want to thank you for coming to speak to Christ The King School. You taught me so much and have truly given me a better appreciation for what I have. Your story is an inspiration to all, and will help make the world a better place. All your life you could have questioned what you have and you could have said, “Why God?” But no. Instead you looked at everything in a positive way and said, “God thank you for all that I have. I am so fortunate.” Your positivity and gratefulness are what have helped you and it shows in your attitude.
God bless you,
Nicole
Dear Alex
Thank you for coming and talking to my talking to my school about perseverance. We all really support your cause and hope you enjoy your career being a motivational speaker. We all hope you succeed.
From,
Christian
Dear Alex,
I really enjoyed your visit here at CTK. It was very inspiring and motivated me to persevere and never give up. I especially liked when you talked about the mile. Most people including myself just don’t want to run it. But for you it was more than a mile; a dream. You ran it but fell, but that still didn’t stop from continuing. You persevered through and finished the mile. You experiences can do more than motivate, they inspire. Thank you for taking your own time to speak to us about your life story.
With love,
Sydney, 6th grade
Dear Alex,
I am going start out thanking you for coming to Christ the King and speaking to us. Thank you for inspiring us at CTK. I know it has been hard for you for most of your life having a disability but you make the best out of. I feel that your story has been inspiring to people that take their body for granted. It was cool that the captains of the football team accepted that you were different and that is okay. I want to hear your story every day because it doesn’t make me take my body or something for granted. I am glad that you can accept that you are different from other people but you are not worried about it. Thank you for talking and inspiring us all.
From, Colin
Dear Alex,
First off thank you for coming to our school to tell your story. This year our theme is perseverance and your the perfect story for that theme. You have a disease in which you cant do normal things but you worked and keep going and now are doing those things. You also were told that you couldn’t go to schools like De la salle ,but you proved them wrong and kept going. THANK YOU so much for opening my eyes a little more to what the real world is like.
From,
Andrew
Dear Alex
You are one of the most inspiring people I have met. I was so happy to meet you and you inspired me so much I want you to come back some day. Patrick
Dear Alex,
Your story has really inspired me to be grateful for everything I have. The way you have been so positive and strong has motivated me to do the same. How you strive to be a great not only as a disabled person, but as anyone trying to reach their goals has really influenced me. You have really touched me and many others. You are an amazing person and I hope to be like you one day. You are a great role model.
Sincerely,
Grace
Dear Alex,
Thank You for coming to CTK. I hope you enjoyed talking to us because we really enjoyed it. We always have you in our hearts. You are very important to us. You touched all of us when you talked about yourself. I hope you pursue your dream and travel around telling your story. I loved hearing about your story. I wish to see you again.
From,
Emma
Dear Alex,
Thank you for talking to us about perserverance, I loved it. Keep doing what you’re doing and remember to be yourself. Now let me ask you something, How can anyone be normal if everyone is different? Think about that…
You can be normal if there was everyone exactly like you and did the exact same thing as you every day. NO ONE is the same. You are you not your friend, neighbor, or anyone else in the world
-Michael
Dear Alex,
What you told me and my friends will be something I’ll never forget. You told us how special life is and that is important to strive through it and never give up and not take things for granted. When I become depressed, I remember you and how you told us to keep going. It made me want to push through my obstacles and reach my goals.
I’m glad you came to our school to remind us that it is never too late for anything and that there is always a way to make things better than they are.
Even though you might seem different, you will always be like us, in our hearts. We will always remember you and your smile. Even in your hardest times, God is with you.
Your C.T.K. friend,
Juan Carlos\
Dear Alex,
Your story is incredible. I like that you care so much about your family. You have so many goals you what to achieve. You don’t just want to help yourself you also want to help others. Which I think is amazing.
Love that you think everything is possible.
From,
Molly, 6th grade
Dear Alex,
Thank you very much for coming to speak here at Christ the King. Your story is amazing. Your message has really motivated and inspired me. I think that it is wonderful how you persevered through you problems. I hope you achieve all your goals. And I agree with you – impossible is nothing.
Sincerely,
Sam
Dear Alex,
I really enjoyed when you came to talk to us on Holy Thursday. You inspired me and made me grateful for all that I have. Being somebody who does not have a disability, I am one who looks out of curiosity and you are right. When you showed that video, I saw the quote by Audrey Hepburn, “The word impossible spells ‘ I’m possible’” and I laughed because in my speech, I put that exact same quote. When you said that you went to De La Salle, I knew that you had perseverance and that this was going to be a great speech. If anyone can reach their dreams and then go beyond that, it would be you. I know that you will have a great impact on the world, because you had the greatest impact on me.
From,
Caroline 6th grade
Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for coming to our school and talking to us. I really enjoyed the video you shared with the school. You truly showed us what perseverance was and how fortunate we are.
From, Ellie 6th grade student
Dear Alex,
Thank you for speaking to us on your life. I enjoyed it greatly and I want you to know that you should keep going with your dream to become a speaker. You should also know that you’re great at speaking to crowds. My favorite quote that you said was, “Impossible is Nothing” I think that really sums up how we are to persevere when it’s really hard to. You really changed my thought process and helped me to see that we are all equal no matter what. You showed me that even kids who were different weren’t different at all. I also liked how you were able to reach out to the audience and put them in your shoes and helping them to understand the way YOU see things. Thanks for speaking to us and teaching us. Maybe you will come again next year! You really inspired me. Thank you – Jasmine
Dear Alex Levesque,
One thing that I remember most about your presentation is your story about being different and being judged. You said that many people look at you and think of you in strange ways because of your condition. My story is different but I kind of know how it feels. Being different may seem odd or weird but we are all unique in our own way. We all have our weaknesses, we all have our strengths, we all have our fears, and we all have our own personalities. I really enjoyed your positive attitude toward everything. You use so much perseverance in your everyday life and you are so positive about it, no matter the difficulty. I think you did an amazing job speaking and you were a huge inspiration to me. Once I left I felt so inspired to do all I could to persevere harder, knowing that the little things for me in life are huge compared to you. You inspired me to look at the upside to everything and be positive towards everything because you’ll find yourself being happier that way. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Leah 6th grade
Dear Alex,
Thank you for coming to our school and speaking to us. I appreciate that you took the time to come and speak to us. It inspired me to always be positive, even when I don’t want to be. Now, when people say that anything is impossible, I think of you and how far you have come, despite any obstacles, big or small. Your hope to be a motivational speaker is great! You are a talented speaker and anyone who gets to hear you is lucky. You do and will continue to make people feel inspired after they hear your story. Thank you for speaking to CTK!
Leia M.
CTK 6th grade student
Dear Alex,
Thanks for coming to our school and telling us about yourself. You were very inspirational, confident, and hardworking. Keep up the good work.
From,
Kaya
Dear Alex,
Thank you for coming and speaking to christ the king. I hope you succeed at what you love. You moved me and my sisters when you talked to us. Thank you for helping me realize I am very lucky. Sorry about what happened to your aunt. Like you say nothing is impossible. I think it means I’m possible. Go spartans and gales.
From
Jack M
Dear Alex,
I recently viewed your presentation, amazing, by the way, and I felt very inspired. I don’t even know you, but you seem like a very relatable and upbeat person. You have rendered me speechless, but I can say that you are awesome. Even though I haven’t experienced anything like you have, you are almost like an inspiring teacher who says all the right things. When I run and my knees start to hurt, now all I can think is, I have legs, I can run. When I feel sad, hey I can breath, right. Everyday tasks now make my day brighter, even chores! You seem like an amazing person, and I hope you live out your dreams, because I know you are the kind of person who can. This is just the start for you!
Sincerely, Grace C.
Alex,
I just wanted to say that your talk to us was incredible. You are so understanding and forgiving to others, like when you said you try understanding why people stare at you or when you. I find it incredible how positive you stay even in your situation. I’d like to say that you’re a clear inspiration for others, and that I wouldn’t be surprised if you became a household name someday.
Keep up the great work,
Jazzy
Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for speaking to us at ctk and my class. I am so happy at what you want to be in the future i think a public speaker is great. I don’t know if you have realized but you have changed many lives and you have inspired others with conditions to make a difference and not just look at these conditions s a bad thing. Also congratulations on your final year at Saint Mary’s. And on more thing impossible is nothing.
Will
Hey Alex I thought you were great, and you told a great story that touched me and everyone else. Your speech taught kids at CTK school to not just dream, but to accomplish their dreams. And I hope one day your dream to give speeches and and to motivate people to not give up and to accomplish their goals. Stay strong and keep doing what you love.
From Caden B.
Dear Alex,
Thanks so much for coming to our school! You inspired me and most likely, the rest of the school. You truly showed what true perseverance is. I was so amazed that you could overcome so much! Thank you so much for giving your time up to give a speech for us. Thank you and I hope you can find a solution to any problems that ever come your way.
Aidan
Dear Alex,
Thank you for coming to our school. Your speech was very inspirational. I liked how you talked about how you got past high school. When you were speaking you touched my heart and others. Keep pursuing your dream and you may inspire more people to keep going with your dream. Thank you and keep doing what you’re doing because you are helping the world. You will change people to the better. Thank you again.
Johnathan
Dear Alex,
Your speech on Holy Thursday left me speechless. I was so inspired and I felt like I could accomplish anything. I also loved your blog page. I also enjoyed the part when your friends and classmates talked about you. I felt as if I personally know you.
Sincerely,
Emmy 6th grade
Dear Alex,
Thank you for opening my eyes to a new perspective of Gratitude. I felt moved to realize how much I really do have and how someone of your limitations, lives and acts as if you have none. Your attitude on life is one that is remarkable and I feel truly moved on the way you live your life. You made me realize that running the mile is a privilege, not something that should be taken for granted. To think that you kept going no matter how many times you fell in the mile, you kept pushing forward. You wanted to accomplish something others told you couldn’t do, but you did it anyway. You gave me a new outlook on what I am capable of accomplishing and for that, I’m grateful
Audrey 6th Grade
Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for talking to us about your life. It was very inspirational to me personally because I so often get frustrated when people can run or do something do much better than me. After what you said i feel like my problems become very small in the long term. Thank you again. I hope that your health and spirit will stay forever strong
Nolan 6th grade
Dear Alex,
I really appreciate that you inspired me to persevere even though things are tough. I like that you really used good examples that made me want to work harder and achieve as many goals as I could. Your speech has made an impact on my life so Thank You for giving us that speech.
Tommy, 6th Grade
Dear Alex,
Your speech the other week was very inspiring. I really enjoyed your talk. Also your blog is great. I most enjoyed your the part about how you got to be a captain at the De La Salle game.
From,Chase
Dear Alex,
I appreciate you coming to our school and telling us about your life story. You created inspiration, curiosity and confidence in me when you made that speech. After your speech I walked outside thinking of the good deeds I could do that day.
From Kyle
Dear Alex,
Thank you much for the speech that you gave to CTK. Your speech was very powerful. Your story is amazing and inspiring. You have inspired me to work harder at school and at home. The part of your speech that I remember most vividly is when you rode out onto the football field at De La Salle. That specific part was just so amazing. That even you or anyone else who is disabled can still do sports or participate. Also, the part where you talked about running the mile here at CTK. I hope that you continue to preserver in life. Again. Thank you so much for visiting our school.
From,
John 6th
Dear Alex,
Your inspirational speech on Holy Thursday was very touching to my heart. It should how lucky I am to have all working body parts. It truly shows that a bad day is all in perspective. This opened my eyes and illustrated I should be thankful for all my gifts God gave me. I now know that even if I had “The Worst Day Ever” it isn’t, there are many more people that would think my day was perfect. It changed the eyes I looked through. And for that I thank you.
Dominic, 6th Grade
Dear Alex,
Thanks you so much for coming to talk to us about how you have persevered and giving the whole school motivation to work through difficult times. You have gone through an extremely difficult journey throughout your life and you have taught me that I can achieve anything that I desire. I know that my life will never even be half as hard as your life, but you have taught me to cherish life and to try to work as hard as I can when I a in difficult situations. Thanks you so much for coming to talk to us and it really means a lot to me.
From
Blas 7th Grade
Dear Alex,
Thank you for delivering a speech, here at CTK about perseverance and what it means to you. You have inspired the whole school with how you have had to get past your limitations and how you have made it, as far in life as you are now. I would like you to know that, we all here at CTK, Wish the best for you and hope you continue to lead a happy life. I now truly know that no matter how hard it gets for me, there is always someone who is having it worse than me. Thank you for inspiring me.
Sincerely,
Alden
Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for speaking in front of us! You are very inspirational and a great role model. Your speech was really great and I find it amazing that you can stay so nice and positive. Your attitude is one in one million and I wish I could have a personality like yours. You inspire me to try new things and never give up. You also gave me courage and I love your saying,
“ Impossible is nothing”. Thank you so much for blessing our school with your speaking.
Sincerely,
Mia 7th
Dear Alex,
I wanted to thank you for coming to our school. Your story is truly amazing. People always tell me “You can do it.” “Persevere through it.”, but your story truly told me, that I really could do anything. I have trouble with math and I often tell myself that I am not good at it and I can’t do it. I heard your story and I realized I can do it.
It really made me think when you told us about your friend who pulled you aside and told you he used to make fun of you. You were the bigger person and you let it go. You are amazing!!!! I think you are a great public speaker! No matter what you choose to do, you are going to be amazing at it! Thank you so much for coming and talking to our school.
Sincerely,Sophie
Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for coming to our school. You really made my day because of your speech. It touched me because I was surprised that you forgave the bully that apologized to you. That was something that I would never have even thought of doing, and you completely didn’t care that he bullied you. I respect you a lot and I hope you accomplish your dreams.
From Cole
Alex-
Thank you for coming to our school. You made an amazing speech and you inspired me to try harder and to never give up. When you forgive the person who bullied you, it showed that you were an amazing person. You reminded me to never give up and to persevere.
From, Matt 7th grade
Alex,
My name is Zach and I am 13 years old. In my life I haven’t faced many problems, but I always know that I need to be better than I was the day before. At Christ the King I always look forward to be ping able to listen to speakers, like you. Especially you. Alex, you showed me that impossible is nothing but a state of mind and despair. I learned from you today and as the saying goes you learn something new every day. What I learned from you is something that I will always remember. That who you are seen as is not what defines you.
Thank you,
Zach
Dear Alex,
Thank you for sharing your story with us. You must have been through a lot. I every day I will keep you in my prays. I still wonder how you stay positive and don’t get anger. You are truly and amazing person. Thank you for coming to speak to us.
your friend,
John P. 7Th
Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for coming to CTK to speak to us. I thought that what you said and the video you showed were amazing. I thought that the way you never give up and keep striving forward was really inspiring. I’m not able to say that I know what you’re going through, but I can say that you are a very inspiring person and I hope you inspire other people the way you inspired me to never give up.
Sincerely,
Sarah
Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for visiting our school and speaking with us about your story about perseverance. You are such an amazing role model for people that are struggling. How you have persevered through your entire life amazed me. I was humbled when you said that you forgave your friend even though he teased you. I wish you good luck down the road becoming a motivational speaker. I think that job fits you best. I am also a Boy Scout (Life Rank) and I also loved doing the Pinewood Derby. I wish you the best,
John (7th Grade Student)
Dear Alex,
Thank you for taking your time to talk to the school. I hope your dream will come true and become a motivational speaker. You started small and now go big. The one thing that really touched my heart was that every said no in high school and college, but you never gave up. The quote that I used for my speech “Perseverance is a stubbornness with a purpose”
Thank You,
Joey 7th grade
Dear Alex,
Thank you for coming to our school to talk to us. I really think that you are a strong and cool person. You are also really good at public speaking. Public speaking is hard for me. I liked how you did not give up when people said you should not go to De La Salle. Good luck later in your lifetime!
Blake
Dear Alex,
What you said today showed me that impossible is nothing, and they challenges I have in life will help me eventually become who I will be in the future. Even though I already know you, I learn much more than I thought I knew. You have given me the courage I need to face life head on and conquer my goals. Thank you Alex, you are an inspiration to me.
Lily J
Dear Alex,
Thank you so much for stopping by CTK and telling us your story of perseverance. You are a true testimony of what it means to never give up and nothing is impossible. I hope your dream of becoming a motivational speaker takes you to many amazing places in life. Just hearing a glimpse of how life has been for you really changed the way I think about myself, and I know you will touch many hearts along your journey. Again, thank you you so much for speaking to us today. It was a true honor to get to hear someone as amazing as you speak about perseverance.
Kaisey
Dear, Alex
Thank you so much for talking at our school. I really appreciate you taking the time to give back to your community. I understood all that you have said and it’s really changing me. I am truly amazed by how you go through life without complaining about all of your challenges. Another thing that struck me was even after you got bullied from that one kid, you still accepted his apology and you forgave him. I know if I was in that situation, I probably would have been angry at him. You are truly one of my role models and I hope you continue to inspire others like me.
Thank you again,
Marcus
Alex-
Thank you so much for your inspiring speech, you will be a phenomenal motivational speaker. Your bad times inspire us, and your good times warm our hearts as you continue on your journey. I know that the situation you are in, though it is not ideal, has touched the hearts on me and my classmates. You are a reminder of the line between the big things and the little things, and that is a reminder that everyone needs to keep them looking at the bigger picture.
Thank you,
Audrey 7th grade
Dear Alex,
When you came to our school and talked about all of your struggles and how you persevered through them it really inspired me to never give up. It also inspired me how you always forgive people no matter what they did to you. Lastly you inspired me to keep going towards my goals and to never stop no matter how hard it may seem.
Your friend,
Eric
Dear Alex,
Thank you for coming back to visit us here at CTK. You are a great inspiration and your speech was amazing. I watched your cousin, Beau, play at Saint Mary’s since he was a freshman. I have also seen you around campus. You seem like a great person and I hope to take the same route as you by going to CTK, De La Salle, and then Saint Mary’s. Your story of how you had to persevere was a great, inspiring story. But all together it was a great pleasure having you here and I hope you visit again sometime.
Thanks,
Aidan D.
Dear Alex,
Thank you for coming to our school. Your stories were great and you showed us that nothing is impossible. It inspired me very much and it taught me that anyone can do anything. You should just be yourself, and don’t change for anyone. I hope that you graduate from college with great grades.
From,
Kailani O.
Dear Alex,
Your speech at Christ the King was truly inspirational and amazing. It made me realize that there will be problems in life no matter what. You are an awesome person and I hope that you will succeed and accomplish your goals in life. Your words were so powerful and I look up to you and hope to be able to have such a wonderful personality and be able to stay positive all throughout my life just like you. Thank you so much and I hope to see you in the future and be able to see how much you have persevered. Stay positive!
Sincerely,
John
7th Grade
Alex, you taught me the true meaning of perseverance. You made me realize of how lucky I am and that I shouldn’t take all of abilities for granite. I want to thank you for coming to our school and sharing your life which made us feel lucky to have what we have. I like all of your interesting stories even though they were sad. I hope that you inspire other people to never give up on themselves.
Thank you!
Jack
Alex Levesque 