Axel Rockwell Alcantar

Axel Rockwell Alcantar, AKA Iron Man, of Phoenix, Arizona

My name is: Axel Rockwell Alcantar (but you can also call me Iron Man since we both have ports on our chests)

I was born in: April of 2019; I am 5 years old

I live in: Phoenix, Arizona

My favorite color is: pink…and blue, gold, rainbow, and anything that sparkles like a diamond.

My favorite foods are: turkey sandwiches (I once ate 2 footlong Subway sandwiches in 1 day!), dino nuggies, mac ‘n cheese (but only if I smell the packet of cheese first), every fruit out there, gogurts, milk, strawberry shortcake, and jello sundaes with lots of sprinkles.

When I grow up, I’m going to be: a vet so that I can help all the animals.

My favorite superhero is: Iron Man (me). But there isn’t really a superhero or bad guy that I don’t like!

If I could have any superpower in the entire world, it would be: to save all the animals that need help (especially the cats stuck in trees).

The things I love to do the most: hang out with my brothers, play Roblox, spend time with my cousins and my friends, travel (going to Wisconsin and on cruises are my favorite!), watch movies (Luca and The Grinch top the list), collect stuffies (I may or may not have close to a million), snuggle and hit every possible Halloween and Christmas event that my mom and I can squeeze in, and play the “I Love You” game and Lego Marvel on the Switch with my dad.

The things I am not a super fan of: sleep (sooo boring), taking all the medicine I have to take (even though I did it like a champ), and bugs! You could poke me with needles 10 times over and I wouldn’t make a peep, but if I so much as see a gnat near me, everyone is going to know!

The people I love the most are: Mommy, Daddy, my brothers Kaiden and Mavy (Maverick); Wisconsin Grandma (Cindy Laube), Wisconsin Grandpa (John Heineke), Sopa Grandma (Angelita Alcantar); My Wisconsin cousins: Callen, Casen, Carsen, and Shea; My Snowflake cousins: Dokken, Drezen, Zander, Sawyer, and Ambrey-Jae; My Mommy’s Family: Aunt Jonna (Genaro), Aunt Amy (Josh), Aunt Laurie and Family, Aunt Lynne and Family; My Daddy’s Family: Uncle Sal AKA Uncle Cheesie (Ange), Aunt Teri (Jeff) and Family, Aunt T and Family, Aunt Sylvia and Family, Aunt Dolores and Family, and Aunt Estella and Family. Headed to Heaven before me and waiting for my arrival with open arms are my Sopa Grandpa (Sal Alcantar) and my beloved dog Mako who I have missed so very much.

Axel’s Mommy (Heather Heineke) and Daddy (Marcos Alcantar) will hold Axel’s Celebration of Life on Thursday, July 18th at Gilbert Memorial Park – 2100 E Queen Creek Rd, Gilbert, AZ, 85297. The visitation will be from 9:30-11 AM, with the Celebration of Life from 11 AM-12 PM. At 12 PM, there will be a short blessing outside at the gravesite, followed by a light lunch (also at Gilbert Memorial Park). For those unable to attend in person, the Celebration of Life will be live streamed (and recorded) from 10:30 AM-12 PM PST.

Live Stream Link

We are so grateful to the many doctors, nurses, child life specialists, family, friends, and “Axel’s Army” who worked tirelessly and prayed fervently to cure Axel of his cancer and make him smile. For most of his journey with cancer, if it weren’t for his bald head, you never would have guessed Axel even had cancer. His positive attitude, amazing spirit, and endless energy inspired everyone who met him. Even when the cancer spread to his brain, spine, and the rest of his body, Axel never complained and you would still always find him with that kilowatt smile on his face. So many things can be learned from the life of this little boy who faced the toughest of things and never ever let it get him down.

In lieu of flowers, we would ask that you instead donate to one of eight amazing organizations. Each of these organizations has meant the world to us during Axel’s battle with cancer, and any amount going to them would mean so much more to us than flowers. Below are details on each organization and why Axel loved them, along with a direct link to their donation page. Thank you for honoring this special request of ours that means so much.

**LILY’S PAD**

Lily’s Pad is a hyperclean, indoor playground designed to provide immunocompromised children and their siblings with a clean environment where they can enjoy typical childhood activities.

Axel would have lived here if given the opportunity (no, really!) Lily’s Pad was his happy place. Where he could be a kid without his mom worrying about him and germs everywhere else. He wanted to go to Lily’s Pad every single day and had so much fun every single time. The family who started and run Lily’s Pad became and are like family to us.

Donate Today | Lily’s Pad

**GIVE KIDS THE WORLD VILLAGE**

Give Kids The World Village is an 89-acre, nonprofit “storybook” resort in Central Florida. Here, children with critical illnesses and their families are treated to weeklong, cost-free vacations.

This is the place that the boys couldn’t stop talking about and that they want to go back to. As part of our Make-A-Wish trip (you can only stay here as a Wish Kid!) staying in our own villa, ice cream for breakfast, Axel’s magical star that will be in the Castle of Miracles forever, front-of-the-line DisneyWorld tickets, you name it…it holds so many special memories for us and was such a wonderful trip that we were all able to take together, all while not having to worry about anything.

Give | Give Kids The World Village | Top-Rated Charity |

**HOPEKIDS**

HopeKids provides ongoing events, activities and a powerful, unique support community for families who have a child with cancer or some other life­ threatening medical condition.

HopeKids kept our minds busy and us out doing so many fun things. So many of the activities you saw me post about (the Christmas Trolley, the amazing Christmas parties, movies and shows, etc) were put on by HopeKids. At a time when it was so hard to not think about cancer 24/7, they allowed us to just have fun…something that was so needed in order to get through this journey.

Donate – HopeKids

**CHILDREN’S CANCER NETWORK**

We support children and families throughout their cancer journey with programs and services designed to provide financial assistance, promote education, encourage healthy lifestyles, and create an awareness of issues they face related to childhood cancer.

This is one of the organizations that Maverick always talks about. They have special programs for not only cancer kiddos but also siblings, which is so needed. Finding a place where Maverick connected was so important for him and for us.

Donate – CCN

**NEVER EVER GIVE UP (NEGU)**

Each registered family receives fun recurring boosts of joy. These gifts are delivered for the sole purpose of wanting them to feel encouraged, bring them smiles, create priceless memories, and help them know they are not alone in this journey.

Axel looked forward to receiving these JoyJars in the mail every single month. They were always filled with fun, silly things to make him smile.

Six Ways To Give! – NEGU – Jessie Rees Foundation

**MEGAN’S MISSION FOUNDATION**

The Megan’s Mission Foundation is committed to realizing Megan’s dream of ending childhood cancer through advocacy and research.

This is one of the only organizations that dedicates funding specifically for Rhabdomyosarcoma research. There is little funding for pediatric cancer research as is, and Rhabdomyosarcoma being such a rare cancer on top of that, there is just not enough money going into research for it. However this foundation was started by a young girl (Megan) who had Rhabdomyosarcoma and wanted to change the narrative. Research is the answer to finding a cure for this awful disease and this is the foundation specifically supporting it.

Megan’s Mission

**THE SUPERHERO EXPERIENCE** (COLTEN COWELL FOUNDATION)

We designed the Superhero Experience to benefit the entire family. For the children, they get to forget that they are sick and simply enjoy being a kid. For the parents, this is an evening to momentarily let go of their worries and share a moment of pure joy with their children. In the end, memories are all we have, and the best are the ones that we get to share with the people that we love.

This was the “Bat Cave” experience that we got to take a limo to and enjoy with so many of our family and friends. A unique one-of-a-kind experience, it truly made Axel feel like a superhero and was such a wonderful way to spend time together and make memories.

Donate – Colten Cowell Foundation

**MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION**

Together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

When Axel’s cancer spread to his brain and his spine, this organization jumped in to quickly make Axel’s wish happen. They made him (and us!) feel so special and granted his #1 wish…DisneyWorld and staying at Give Kids The World!

Make-A-Wish Foundation