Abby Connolly
This past year, TikTok users all around the world fell in love with Therese Alexander, otherwise known as Teed, a woman who bravely shared her story before passing away due to ALS in October.
“Hi, I’m Teed, and I’m terminal,” the Australian native would start off each of her videos by saying.
Teed was an incredibly athletic and outgoing woman with two daughters. She could be found at the gym every day, training and living life to the fullest.
Although she was super fit and healthy, she began to notice her strength was starting to dwindle. It all started while she was trying on clothes at her local K-Mart and struggled to get items back onto their hangers. Eventually, she could feel a loss of strength all around her body and decided to go to the doctor.
After a series of tests, the first doctor Teed went to told her that she was suffering from anxiety. But Teed knew something else was going on, so she got a second opinion.
This was when she found out she had Motor Neuron Disease (MND), otherwise known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in the United States.
For those who may not be aware, this disease causes a person’s muscles to gradually lose their functionality. It is a fatal disease with no cure.
“My first thought was, ‘I’m not ready to leave my kids,'” says Teed in one of her videos. “Then I thought, ‘What am I gonna do?'”
That’s when Teed decided to make the most out of every day by always finding moments of joy. Whether it be something like going out for a cup of coffee with a loved one or heading to the beach, she would make every moment count.
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