Alexa Kersting took her first driving lessons this spring with her father and the constant companion in her life: a breathing mask tethered to a portable oxygen tank.

The 14-year-old West Fargo girl spent her last seven months waiting for a phone call – a call that meant she had two hours to reach a medical center in Minneapolis to receive a lung transplant.

Her name was at the top of the regional waiting list, but Alexa's wait ended unexpectedly Thursday morning, when she took her last breath in her father's arms.

"I think her heart just gave out," Loren Kersting said. Alexa's heart strained because her diseased lungs weren't providing enough oxygen.

"I think she was a lot sicker than we realized," Monica Kersting said of her daughter.

Alexa never complained during her long struggle against a disease that baffled her doctors. Her symptoms mimicked cystic fibrosis, but she tested negative for the disease.

Alexa fought to live as normal a life as possible in spite of her declining health. Just two or three weeks ago, she was able to jet-ski on Minnesota's Lake Ida. But she was disappointed by her limitations – fatigue from a body starving for oxygen.

"A real sadness came over her," said her father, principal at West Fargo's South Elementary School. On his right wrist, he wore a bead necklace made by students at Holy Cross Catholic Church to serve as prayer reminders for Alexa.

She was determined to stay in school. When she could no longer climb the stairs, she took the elevator at West Fargo Middle School. But by January, the physical demands were too much and she was forced to stay home, working with a tutor to keep up on her advanced algebra class.

"I think she had to work real hard at staying alive – breathing," her father said. "Probably harder than anybody realized."

Alexa had a passion for music and dancing, and also enjoyed drawing and artwork. Her mother clasped a piece she'd made, with her dog's paw prints cast in concrete, bordered by gem-colored spheres.

"She was extremely talented when it came to music," her father said. She took piano and voice lessons; she loved to sing despite her difficulty breathing.

Earlier as a child, Alexa spoke often of her desire to become a doctor. She wanted to help sick children. Later, she talked of being a pediatric nurse, or possibly a teacher.

"It was pretty obvious she wanted to do something with children," Loren said.

One of Alexa's proudest adventures came when her father allowed her to drive part of the way to a cabin her family shared with cousins on Lake Lida – tiny Alexa, 4 feet, 7 inches of pluck, almost invisible to passing motorists, cruising along the Downer road with a summer breeze.

The red Mustang convertible she and her father were restoring remains in the garage, a car Alexa was to inherit some day, when she was ready to handle a stick shift.

Although Alexa never became an organ recipient, she is an organ donor; her brown eyes will help someone she never knew see. Her mother, a Concordia College counselor, will cut Alexa's hair to donate to Locks of Love, a program that provides hair for children with cancer.

On average, 17 people die every day in the United States while waiting for an organ transplant, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS.

Slightly more than 25,000 people have signed up to be donors – but more than 86,000 are waiting for a transplant, said Anne Paschke, a UNOS spokeswoman.

"Transplants save lives, and we all have the power to save lives – if we make the decision," Paschke said. Those who want to donate should tell family members so they can give consent when asked.

That opportunity came for the Kerstings on Thursday morning, an ordeal even though their daughter had made her wishes known.

"She wanted to make people aware of the need for donors," mother Monica said. "I guess she will now."

Readers can reach Forum reporter Patrick Springer at (701) 241-5522