Meet Adaptive Athlete: Haylee Grace Alexander

Haylee has grown up in Prosper, Texas just next door to ATF and has been in competitive cheer since the age of 2. Her entire childhood she climbed the ranks in the cheer space and by age 12, made an all world team of college age athletes where she won her 5th and 6th consecutive national titles. She and her team competed on America’s Got Talent in 2020. She and her team the Wildcats became Grand World Champions in 2021 and took home a silver medal at the world competition in 2022. At her highschool in Prosper she became a two time All American before her accident. 

 

On August 22, 2022 Haylee was at practice with her All-Star team rehearsing choreography for the upcoming season. As a flyer, Haylee has been thrown up in the air her entire cheer career and is no stranger to that sensation. This particular practice, she was thrown up for a basket toss and hit the ground from about fifteen feet in the air, landing on a dead mat on the floor. 

 

As a result of the accident, Haylee suffered two subarachnoid hemorrhages, subdural hemorrhages, a diffuse axonal injury, and a traumatic brain injury. Haylee spent a few weeks in the intensive care unit then was transported to an inpatient rehab center in Dallas for a few more weeks. Haylee had to relearn many basic life skills during her recovery, undergoing intense physical and speech therapy for five months. Through her hard work, she was able to regain function and thrive again as a young teenager. 

 

Haylee’s recovery has not come without difficulty however, as she has been unable to resume life with other girls her age and get back on the mats to cheer with her team. Haylee wants to use her time at ATF to become more independent and get back to training so she can one day cheer in college.