Throughout his young life, Alex Labbe shared his gift for making each moment count by captivating others with his enormous smile. Alex’s heart was full of love despite his genetic heart defect.
Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Alex underwent five open heart surgeries and suffered three strokes by the time he was six years old. A final stroke took away the use of his right side, making it a struggle to do simple tasks such as tying his shoes, putting on a jacket, climbing stairs and word processing an assignment.
Alex met these physical challenges with sheer drive, competitive spirit, and an engaging laugh. After he taught himself to play Wii with only his left hand, Alex excelled as a gamer, rarely losing to competitors playing with two hands! And few miniature golf players can boast as many hole in ones as Alex achieved by rolling the ball with one hand!
When Alex died at age 13 from complications to his heart, he left an inspiring example of courage, determination, and a sense of humor in the face of adversity—treasured memories for his parents, extended family, friends, teachers, and classmates from the 2016 BHS graduating class.
His parents Judy and Peter Labbe established this scholarship in Alex’s memory to help other students struggling with adversity to realize their dreams. Money raised for the fund includes a gift from the BHS Class of 2016 as well as proceeds from a mini-golf tournament which was held in Alex’s name, sponsored by several local businesses, and supported by an outpouring of people in the Brunswick-Topsham area. Alex’s legacy will live through the future endeavors of scholarship recipients to enriching the lives of others as he did.
Awards from this fund are based on student financial need, after which the recipient is requested to be a graduate of Brunswick High School who has overcome physical or health adversities (or other difficult challenges) and who is pursuing an education at a trade school.