Evelyne Eng
Alexa Barbin, a 2017 graduate from Escondido High School, died on Friday, March 9 after contracting the Influenza B virus strain. The 19-year-old had not received her flu vaccination.
creating floral arrangements
Photo courtesy of Daily Mail
As an adamant, past member of Escondido High’s Future Farmers of America program, Barbin possessed a deep love for flowers and was excited to study floral design at Southwestern College in Chula Vista. Her keen eye for beauty had even led her to start her own floral arrangement business, Alexa Blu Floral Design. Mother Apryl Barbin had signed the papers for Alexa to donate her organs, but the sepsis prevented this plan from being seen through.
Barbin joins Kyle Baughman in the small percentage of active, young Americans that the epidemic has taken. Baughman was an aspiring personal trainer, but died due to the increased chance that generally healthy people face in developing a bacterial infection on top of flu symptoms. According to TIME, this is due to the physically-well population’s mucus production, coughing, and other regular bodily operations functioning more regularly than the feeble population’s.
The Barbin family is currently just a few thousand dollars short of reaching their GoFundMe goal of $20,000 for Alexa’s memorial.
