On August 26, 2010, a soon-to-be mom went in for her weekly doctor’s appointment. Her pregnancy had been high risk and more than once the couple was faced with the challenging conversation that their baby may not make survive to full term. During this routine appointment, it was determined that the baby needed to be delivered immediately. Upon arriving at the hospital, the soon-to-be mom was taken back and prepped for a C-section. In the early afternoon the doctor announced to the couple that they had a “baby girl.” It was when the mother was in recovery that her husband entered the room and told his wife not to worry but the baby had been moved to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). The baby had started to struggle to breathe. For seven long days the baby fought to heal and recover. Alana Renee VanMeter was born that day. Despite the odds, she fought to live.

 

Alana lived life to its fullest. Through various adventures with her mother and sister, to family camping trips, or playing with kids in the neighborhood. She grew into a girl that loved the arts. Dancing, singing, painting, drawing, playing guitar and acting. She wanted to do it all. She was a happy go lucky, silly, sassy, way too smart, and caring child. Despite enduring years of bullying at school, she learned to embrace herself and those that were different. She strived not to let others dim her light.

 

In middle school, she faced more bullying. Where others might give up on themselves, she learned to embrace herself unapologetically. She made friends with other kids that struggled to find their place. In reality, Alana could make friends with just about anyone. Her light seemed to draw those to her that needed a place where they were loved and accepted. Her love for the arts continued to grow. She accepted that she was different from the other kids and she was okay with that even if they weren’t.

 

She jumped into high school with the same drive to live it to its fullest. Sadly, she would only get to experience one year of high school. In that short time, she made many more friends, got her first boyfriend, joined the dance team, continued to be involved in the arts and set her sights on building up the color guard. Stating proudly to anyone that would listen that she wanted her high school legacy to be a competitive guard.

 

Then on September 3, 2025, (one week after her 15th birthday) Alana sat in the living room waiting for the school bus. She was talking to her mom about a meeting she had with her dance team coach after school. Forty-five minutes later her heart would stop. The EMTs and ER staff tried diligently to revive her, but they couldn’t. At 11:50 her time of death was pronounced. A few days later her family would find that she passed due to a pulmonary embolism. A blood clot from her leg, possibly stemming from her broken ankle, traveled to her lungs.

 

Three days prior to her passing, she asked her mother what she would do if Alana passed unexpectedly. Despite her mother’s struggles to even fathom such a situation, Alana was insistent that she knew what her mom would do. After telling her daughter in tears that her world and heart would shatter, she paused to tell Alana that she would start a scholarship fund in her memory. Alana studied her for a moment then said, “That’s really nice. Thank you, mom.”

 

Alana’s Wings of Hope is the fruition of that final promise between a mother and her daughter. In their darkest moment surrounded by the unimaginable pain of losing a teenage daughter hope became the guiding light for her parents, family and friends. Where her light once shown, the light of hope now shines.

 

Alana’s Wings of Hope is a nonprofit. It provides scholarships to Genoa-Kingston School district for students that exhibit many similar attributes as Alana. Additionally, it looks to provide donations to extracurricular activities that were important to Alana, along with donations to the Genoa/Kingston Communities that Alana loved. It is the hope of Alana’s parents, Adam and Sarah, that they can provide support, guidance and education for those impacted by the loss of a loved one.

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