If there is one thing I have learned in my life, it is that we must be who we are. That is the only thing that will bring happiness and success. I think it is terrific that you are so athletic and I want to encourage you to keep it up!!! Please dont let others pressure you into conforming and don’t feel that you have to explain yourself at all – in fact, the less you defend yourself the better. My advice when they tease you is to just smile, and then find friends to hang around you that SUPPORT you. The more comfortable YOU are with your life, the more people will respect you. When you aren’t comfortable, PRETEND to be anyway. Studies have shown that if you ACT confident, it is a step on the way to FEELING confident. To do well at what you love, you need to really believe that the athlete you are is 100% your destiny. From what you have told me, I believe it is!!! Please keep me appraised of how the Canada Games go!!

Alexandra

Thank you for being such a big Baywatch fan!!! The “Tequila Bay” episode was the first one I filmed, and the backstory was that Stephanie had disappeared on Mitch after they had been dating for a while, so he was hurt and angry. And Stephanie was on the defensive because she knew he wouldnt be happy about her being the new lieutenant. Since it was my first episode, I did’t know David Hasselhoff well yet, but nonetheless any hostility going on onscreen was actually covering up Stephanie’s love for Mitch. And it is very easy to love Mitch!! I was so lucky ot have so many story lines with David, because he is my favorite costar of all time. Paradise for me would be to work with him daily again!!

Best wishes,

Alexandra

I became certified as an EMT in 1990 and have been recertifying as needed ever since. An Emergency Medical Technician learns not only how to deal with a heart attack and choking problems (CPR), but also how to birth a baby, and deal with shock patients, near drownings, spine injuries, animal bites, burns, car accidents and wounds etc. All this is done “in the field” with minimal medical supplies. My sister Caroline, who is a firefighter and therefore is also an EMT, recommended I take the 96 hour course because I could save a life one day with that knowledge (so far I haven’t). In high school, I had taken CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) and at 18 I had to do the Heimlich Maneuver on someone who choked on some meat, so I highly recommend a CPR course to everyone. Just call the nearest Red Cross or your local hospital to find out when you can take this 8 hour course! You will be proud of yourself!

To answer your question, John: no, I don’t volunteer my EMT services, but I do have a fantasy of working with Doctors Without Borders someday, if they would have me. I am not very confident in my lifesaving skills because taking a course is very different from real life and I have never had a chance to use what I know (luckily). Caroline says it will come to me and that I won’t panic, but I worry that I will.

My brother Jonathan is a volunteer firefighter in his rural Oregon hometown, and he is finding it very fulfilling. Three cheers to all the emergency personnel out there, including my siblings!

Thank you for writing.

Sincerely,

Alexandra