Grief hits everyone differently. For some, it’s a huge avalanche of emotions and for others, it’s little waves that come and go at random times. For most people, grief just happens without warning or a choice, because no one fully knows how they will handle a tragic situation. A recent viral TikTok video that hits way too close to home for me is the perfect example of that.
T-Lex Is Helping Family And Friends Of Alexia Getz While Grieving Her Loss
I recently wrote about a viral TikTok about a stuffed dinosaur that was doubling as a stash jar carrying the ashes of a 26-year-old who lost her life last month. That 26-year-old, Alexia Getz, was a family friend and someone that my son adored with his all his heart. So, I felt compelled to give some more insight from my point of view on the topic of how people grieve and why T-Lex is helping so many people.
When I first saw T-Lex, it made me sad. It was a moment of reality that hit that I won’t ever get to see Getz again, and it hit hard. But at the same time, T-Lex made my heart feel comforted. To know that her mom can hug her whenever she needed that hug, is a comforting thought. And the full story behind how T-Lex came to be gives a warm feeling that Getz would approve of it all.
Nikki Ayers, Getz’s sister, explained in the TikTok video that while the family was waiting for a crystal urn to arrive from the U.K., the idea to use a stash jar in a stuffed dinosaur for the time being came to be. But the idea hit in ways no one probably expected and now that’s where the ashes will remain.
People on TikTok were super supportive of the idea and so many reached out to Ayers to see if she would be making more and selling them.
It wasn’t an idea that originally crossed her mind, but now after seeing the impact it’s having on many people, she’s in the process of making that happen. She stumbled upon an amazing way to not only grieve her sister, but also carry on her name and legacy while also helping others in the process.
Alexia Getz Was My Son Jesse’s Favorite Person During His Childhood
My son Jesse, now 17, was just 7-years-old when he met Getz. He instantly fell in love with her. My little boy would look at her with stars in his eyes, like she was the sun and the moon. That love only grew and Getz embraced it.
As a teenager, she could have just thought it was cute and went about her life, but she went above and beyond to make sure Jesse knew how important he was to her. As a mother, I’m forever grateful for that. She wasn’t only kind to Jesse but was also an amazing addition to our family anytime she would spend the day with us.
To hear Ayers describe her sister brings tears to my eyes and makes my heart feel full. “Alexia was a firecracker as a human being. She loved to ride her motorcycle, and was an experienced rider,” she said. “She loved animals, loved to laugh and horded stuffed animals.”
Jesse completely agrees. She had a way about her that was kind and loving, humorous, adventurous, and fun. While having a conversation with her about literally anything, it was easy to forget that she was a teenager at the time. She was an old soul for sure.
To honor Getz, Jesse has embroidered a photo of her on his backpack and put a sticker on our car in honor of her. He’s also making bigger plans to keep her spirit alive with a T-Lex tattoo. Jesse turns 18 later this year and his birthday gift from me will be the tattoo that he’s in the process of planning. I think I just might get a matching tattoo, too.
T-Lex Is Comforting People Near And Far
Ayers literally stumbled upon the idea for T-Lex and is so thankful for it. Not only did she create the stash jar dino with Getz a few years ago, Getz was a huge lover of dinosaurs. There’s even a TikTok video of Getz singing “I’m a dinosaur” as a dinosaur.
While maybe to some this is all too much or too emotional, but to the people who loved Getz, everything is lining up in a way that feels comforting on some level.
Ayers is not only in the works of making cuddly urns as a business to help others grieve, but she’s got more ideas to make it more of a customizable and personal experience for each person.
“I’m looking into recorders like the ones that Build-A-Bear uses and a QR code instead of a tag with a phone number in case it gets lost,” she said.
Ayers is currently working on a few for some people who have reached out to her. She just recently created a chocolate lab puppy for a mom who never got the chance to hold her baby girl.
“The head comes off, and you would put the ashes inside the glass jar inside of a bag and then it just screws back on,” she said in the video as she showed the puppy urn. “I can’t wait for her to get to her mommy, so she can snuggle her and hold her baby, since she never did get that chance.”
Ayers recently started a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of getting a patent for her idea and to help out others who cannot afford to buy a cuddly urn.
“Thank you all for the support! I have a meeting with a company that helps procure patents this week. They estimate between $900-1500 for actually getting the patent,” an update on the GoFundMe page reads.
“The remainder of what’s donated will be split 2 ways, one half will be put in an account for charity cases. That would be people who would love a cuddly urn but cannot afford one. The second half will go towards the domain name for the website and getting supplies needed to craft these.”
For more information while waiting for the website to get up and running, reach out to Ayers in a Facebook DM.
