May 14, 1999 – August 31, 2024
Alexander Thomas Bell
Eager to learn and surround himself with faith and family
Alexander Thomas Bull had finally been able to take classes at Texas A&M after 25 years of perseverance. Being dealt an unfair card from a young age, Alex fought a battle with epilepsy for 17 years. Alex was a family man passionate about kindness, faith and learning.
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Alex was raised by his loving and devoted parents, Tom and Sara Bull. Alex had always been very close with his family, who supported him during his struggles with epilepsy.
After the miracle of surviving his second brain surgery, Alex believed in God.
In high school, Alex enjoyed a capella, beatboxing and the camaraderie he experienced through being in theater growing up. He took the time to work and live in Austin with his cousin but decided that he wanted to pursue higher education.
Although he was only able to take a couple of weeks of classes, Alex worked diligently as an honors student at Blinn College in Brenham so he could transfer to A&M.
Before his passing, Alex discussed his faith with his mother after she asked him what his favorite Bible verse was. Sara said the verse he sent her embodied who he was regarding his religion.
“He texted back without hesitation, Corinthians 4:18, and so I looked that up,” Sara said. “It was a quote that says, ‘We look not to the things that are transient. We look not to the things that are seen, because the things that are seen are transient. We look to the things that are unseen, because the things that are unseen are eternal.’ And I feel like that’s Alex telling us that, you know, he’s okay, he’s in heaven, and he’s eternal; he’s experiencing the everlasting life.”
Alex’s parents said he was excited for his new beginnings at A&M, where he would pursue a major in political science. He overcame many challenges throughout his life, including becoming deaf in one ear at a young age. Still, the challenges did not stop him from fighting to push himself and celebrate his acceptance into the university.
“He overcame so many challenges, and he was not dealt an easy hand,” Sara said. “He was still just a nice person and fun to be around. That’s the most important thing when I think about Alex; it is just what he overcame.”
Despite Alex’s hardship, he found peace in his family’s support and involvement in his personal journey with faith.
“I feel like we’d say something like he was just realizing that God is present and that it was really huge for him,” Sara said. “I think he would say something like, ‘I was probably an idiot not to realize it sooner, but I think that would be something more important, which was that … miracles happen because God is real.’”
Alex loved his friends and family and supported them despite the hard times he experienced with his health. He put his own struggles aside to comfort the people who surrounded him.
“This one person texted me and said, ‘Alex was there for me during a hard time in my life,’” Sara said. “Even when he was probably himself going through a really difficult time, he was there for this other friend.”
Alex’s parents said their son worked hard to gain knowledge and transfer into A&M while continuing to be kind to everyone around him, despite what he was going through.
“Alex was quite a conversationalist,” Tom said. “He wanted to know about everything, and he was always seeking knowledge and would sit down and have a call or a conversation with anyone. … He just wanted to learn so much.”
According to Alex’s father, the surgery he underwent on Feb. 5 was successful in removing the lesion that had caused his seizures.
“Persevering is a good word,” Sara said. “At the end of the day, he never really gave up.”
His life, although challenging, was surrounded by love and seeking knowledge.
“Just nothing ever worked out for Alex,” Sara said. “And it wasn’t anything of his fault. It was just like, going deaf, having epilepsy, he never could catch a break, you know? And he finally did, you know, he finally did catch a big break.”
