SHEBOYGAN, Wisc. — Alex Morales has loved to dance from the time he could walk.
His mom, April, said his passion has only grown stronger in his 15 young years, a lot of which were filled with his daily dose of Just Dance practice.
"I just enjoy it. He turns my whole living room into a dance floor," she laughed. "Yes!"
Morales is autistic and participates in "Team Abilities" — a five-member special needs dance group — at Dollhouse Dance Factory in Sheboygan.
"You can just see him shine," Alex's mom April said. "His eyes just light up and glow every time he has practice."
But dance has looked a bit different for Morales this year.
He was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumor in April, one that can go from what's now a low-grade cancer to life-threatening at the drop of a hat.
"It was a big day. It was a big, hard, emotional, 'Oh my goodness'-type moment," April remembered.
Due to the tumor, Alex has developed epilepsy which causes him to have absence seizures.
These are harder to detect.
From the outside, the person seizing may appear to stare into space for a few seconds. Other symptoms include lip smacking, eyelid fluttering, and chewing motions.
Epilepsy makes Alex sensitive to light, heat and forms of exercise, like dance.
"It really feels a little heartbreaking for me because I really love doing dance, and I'm really sad I can't do it to the fullest," Alex confessed.
But Alex's peers have been with him every step of the way.
Team Abilities Coordinator Heather Davenport said she could sense Alex's passion for dance as soon as he walked in the studio two years ago.
"You can see it in the other dancers, they look at him also as a leader," she said.
Coach Ava Doherty noticed it too.
"I watched him dance the first time and I was actually crying back stage because [they] make me so happy," she said. ""I just saw all the hard work that he put into it and he didn't let a single thing stop him."
Dollhouse members said they pay extra close attention to Alex during their weekly rehearsal, making sure he's had enough food and water, taking frequent breaks and dimming the lights when needed.
"It's amazing how much support I have on all the stuff that's happening," Alex expressed.
He's scheduled for brain surgery in a little over a week's time, and it's a heavy thought for everyone.
"The dance family is a family," Davenport noted. "We don't want to lose Alex, we don't want to lose any of those team members because they all play a very intricate role."
April is confident that she'll get her boy back so he can continue with the thing he loves most and turn their living room into a dance floor once again.
"He's strong. I think we'll manage this."
Alex shares that mindset — his sights set on the long-term goal he's had for years: running his own dance studio one day.
"I'm living proof right now that just because there's something going on, or you have an issue, doesn't mean you can't do what you love."
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