WASHINGTON — When John Wall broke down following the Washington Wizards’ 133-132, double overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on Dec. 8, the moment resonated with fans across the country. But Wall’s emotions over the loss of his young friend Miyah Telemaque-Nelson struck one local Wizards fan more personally, as he had suffered a similar loss in his own life.
Davis Gestiehr, 13, from Bethesda, Maryland, was just 8 when his best friend, Lexi Speight, developed a rare form of liver cancer. It wasn’t detected until late in its development and was inoperable. Davis didn’t know what to do, other than to turn to his guitar and his sister.
Davis and sister Madison, 11 at the time, were both musical kids. They decided to collaborate to write a song in memory of Lexi, using Davis’ personal experiences with his friend as inspiration. Madison asked Davis to list all of his favorite memories, and she helped him mold them into lyrics. When they were finished, “Forever and Always” was born.
“It helped with the mourning,” says Davis. “Just remembering her and all of the great things about her.”
Every September, the siblings — who go by the moniker The Davison Duo — perform at Laps for Lexi, a race in her honor that benefits pediatric cancer research. Now, in addition, every download of the song will benefit pediatric oncology research at Children’s National Medical Center.
After seeing the emotional reaction displayed by Wall for his friend Miyah, Davis reached out to Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, who recognized him from having sung the National Anthem at past Wizards games. Leonsis was inspired by Davis’ passion for his friend, and has helped the siblings spread the word about their efforts.
For Davis, the connection with Wall, one of his sports idols, gave him that much more energy to continue to pursue his efforts.
“It was just really amazing to see one of the people I look up to…see the same feelings that I have for Lexi with her,” he says.
Madison echoed her brother’s thoughts.
“People realized that John Wall is just like any other human,” says Madison. “He has emotions; he has feelings. And childhood cancer is a problem.”
That’s where the Gestiehr siblings hope their efforts can help others afflicted with the same troubles as Lexi and Miyah. They leaned on each other to get through the hard times, and have seen others do the same.
“Lexi was truly inspirational through the whole thing,” says Madison. “Her sister was always there for her, so it was nice seeing someone so positive through the whole thing, who was feeling as much pain as Lexi was.”
Just as the Speight sisters were strong in solidarity, so have the Gestiehrs been in their unwavering support to raise money for childhood cancer. You can help them by downloading “Forever and Always” through the iTunes store.
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