On the second day, however, 13-year-old Alexa Jensen was swimming in a lake with some other young women when she had a seizure and slipped beneath the water.
Alexa suffered from a rare liver disease that had left her with developmental disabilities, but she was a good swimmer—she had won many swimming medals at the region and state levels of Special Olympics. When Alexa's mother, Denise, couldn't spot her, she suspected a seizure had led to Alexa's disappearance and yelled for help.
The youth immediately started searching for Alexa. After four or five minutes, they found her and pulled her onto a nearby dock. The youth gathered around and watched as their friend received CPR.
"We were all in shock," recalls Chandler Balkman, the Jensens' home teacher at the time. Chandler, who had been playing a game with Alexa before she disappeared, stood nearby, waiting to help if he could. But all that was left to do was watch and pray. "We just were thinking, 'How could this be happening?' It felt surreal," he says.
Alexa arrived at the hospital with no pulse. The medical team at the hospital stabilized her heartbeat, but her brain function never returned to normal. Two days later, Alexa died.
The Jensens' overwhelming shock and grief were softened by the love and support they received from the ward. Members of the ward helped with the funeral arrangements, visited, sent cards expressing their love, brought meals, called to see how they were doing, and above all, made sure the Jensens knew they were loved and remembered.
"Because the accident happened at a church activity, going through the grief together was comforting, in a lot of ways," Denise says. "Not that you want others to have to suffer too, but it was very good for us, her family, because we saw how much everyone loved Alexa."
Alexa's father, Gary, recalls: "We realized we needed to help each other and comfort each other. Love from our ward got us through that initial tough time."