An Unexpected Invitation to Something Greater
The concept of a golden ticket usually conjures images of magic, opportunity and doors opening to dreams we once believed were out of reach. For Lexie Appleby, her golden ticket first arrived in the form of a scholarship letter that changed her future. But over time, she’s come to realize that golden tickets don’t always look shiny or glamorous. Sometimes, they show up disguised as challenges, redirections or even heartbreak— and they lead us exactly where we were meant to go.
When Dreams Begin
Lexie grew up in Lindenhurst, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago—a joyful, energetic child with a heart full of big dreams. Even though she started dancing at just three years old, she remembers the exact moment her passion for performing was born. It happened when she was just eight years old, watching a small-town parade. A group of girls in sashes and sparkling smiles passed by, and Lexie’s eyes lit up. “I looked at my mom and said, ‘I want to be like them. How do I do that?’” she recalls.
Her mom, ever supportive, found a local pageant connected to the county fair. It wasn’t a glitzy, over-the-top production—it was simply an opportunity for Lexie to learn confidence, stage presence and community involvement. That simple beginning opened the door to years of dancing, competing in pageants and embracing the hard work it takes to turn a dream into reality.
“I knew at eight years old that I wanted to dance, to do pageants and to be a teacher,” she shares. “And I ended up doing all of those things.” As Lexie grew, so did her passion for performing, leading and serving her community. By high school, she was fully immersed in dance teams, theater productions and student leadership. But her love for pageantry never faded. In 2010, she earned the title of Miss Lindenhurst, representing her hometown with pride.
“That title meant more to me than just a crown,” she shares. “It was a chance to serve my community, to speak about things that mattered to me and to develop the confidence to walk into any room and believe I belonged there.” The experience prepared her for so much more than she realized at the time—it taught her how to balance responsibility, represent something bigger than herself and communicate with grace and clarity. All skills that would serve her well in the years to come, especially as a titleholder within the Miss America organization from 2013-2018.
The First Golden Ticket: A Scholarship to Purdue
When college decision time arrived, Lexie fell in love with Purdue University. She was drawn to its vibrant campus life, the opportunities it offered and the community it fostered. But as an out-of-state student, the price tag felt like a wall she couldn’t climb. “My parents were realistic. Purdue was perfect—but expensive,” she says.
And then, like a miracle, the mail delivered her first golden ticket. Lexie was awarded the Presidential Scholarship—$10,000 per year for four years.
“That letter changed everything,” she says, her voice full of gratitude, even years later. “It made my dream of becoming a Boilermaker a reality.”
Lexie hit the ground running at Purdue. She made the Golduster Dance Team (later becoming the captain), became an ambassador/ tour guide for the College of Education, joined Alpha Phi and was on the homecoming court. Her infectious energy and determination made her a beloved figure on campus. In 2013, she was crowned Miss Purdue University—a title that would launch her into a broader platform of service, leadership and personal growth. “I bled black and gold,” she laughs. “Purdue didn’t just educate me. It shaped me into who I am.”
Love, Football and Long Distance
It was at Purdue in 2015 that Lexie met Austin Appleby, the university’s starting quarterback. Their first date wasn’t supposed to be anything serious. Lexie laughs, remembering, “Honestly, I agreed to the date because it would be a free meal and a funny story.” But Austin wasn’t just a fleeting chapter. He was the one.
“People always assume dating the quarterback must have been glamorous. It wasn’t. It was long distance, time zones, missed calls and a lot of faith that this was worth fighting for,” Lexie says.
While Austin pursued a career in the NFL and eventually transitioned into coaching, Lexie stayed in Indiana, building her career and chasing her own dreams.
Dancing, Teaching and Doing It All
After graduating in 2016 from Purdue, Lexie didn’t just step into one dream—she stepped into two. She became a firstgrade teacher in Brownsburg, Indiana, and became an NFL cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts.
“I’d teach all day, then drive straight to Colts practice,” she says. “Looking back, I don’t know how I managed it. But at the time, it just felt normal.”
Those years were filled with joy, exhaustion and incredible fulfillment. Whether she was teaching sight words to sixyear-olds or performing on NFL sidelines, Lexie poured her whole heart into every role. She was with the Colts from 2016-2020 and left them as a captain and Pro Bowl cheerleader.
“I’ve always thrived in being busy and being involved. That season taught me so much about discipline, dedication and the beauty of balancing passion with purpose.”
A New Chapter in Missouri
In 2020, the winds of change blew again. As the pandemic forced the world to pause, Lexie and Austin prepared for a major transition. Austin accepted a coaching job at Missouri State, and Lexie stepped away from teaching and cheerleading.
“It felt like the end of an era,” she admits. “But I also knew deep down I was ready for something new.”
That something new came in an unexpected form—a job in the mental health field. Lexie joined a community behavioral health center, not as a clinician, but as part of the wellness and marketing team. She worked with Be Well Initiatives at Burrell Behavioral Health. Her role was to translate complex neuroscience into practical, relatable wellness strategies for corporate partners.
“I went from teaching kids to teaching adults,” she explains. “It was an entirely different world, but it showed me that my skills as a communicator and educator were transferable.”
It also opened her eyes to the importance of mental health, brain health and self-care in a way she had never experienced before.
The Prayer That Changed Everything
Despite settling into her new role in Missouri, Lexie felt a quiet but persistent stirring deep in her spirit. From the outside, everything looked like it was falling into place—a good job, a supportive relationship and a fresh start in a new city. But internally, something felt … unsettled.
“I couldn’t shake this feeling that I was supposed to be doing something else,” she recalls. “Not necessarily leaving my job right away, but I just knew there was something more. I didn’t know what it was—I just knew I was restless.”
So, like she had done at every major crossroads in her life, Lexie turned to prayer. But this time, her prayer was different. It was bold, vulnerable and a little scary. She asked God directly for clarity. For direction. For an unexpected opportunity, even if it was uncomfortable or completely different from what she imagined.
Not long after, a neighbor— someone she only knew in passing—walked over to her driveway. What started as a quick hello turned into something much deeper.
“She looked at me and said, ‘I’ve been avoiding you,’” Lexie remembers. “‘God has been putting it on my heart for weeks to come talk to you … and I just haven’t. But I can’t ignore it anymore. How can I pray for you?’”
Taken aback but also filled with peace, Lexie didn’t hesitate. “I told her, ‘Honestly, I don’t even know exactly what to ask for … but I know I need clarity. I know there’s something coming, but I don’t know what it is. Pray that God shows me what’s next.’”
Her neighbor nodded and responded without skipping a beat. “Then I’m going to pray for an unexpected opportunity by the end of the year.”
Lexie remembers standing in her driveway, stunned—not by fear, but by the overwhelming sense that this was a holy moment. A divine appointment. She didn’t know what form the opportunity would take. But she knew God was moving.
“I had no idea how literal that prayer would become,” she reflects now. “I didn’t know that it would be the kind of answer that flips your world upside down and right side up at the same time.”
A Different Kind of Golden Ticket
In the summer of 2022, just weeks before her wedding, Lexie found a lump in her breast. Having a history of benign fibroadenomas, she didn’t panic—but something felt different this time.
By November, she had endured a series of ultrasounds, mammograms and finally a biopsy. Then, Lexie received a call that would change her life.
On December 1, 2022—exactly within the timeline of that driveway prayer—Lexie was diagnosed with Stage 1B breast cancer at only 28 years old.
“There’s really nothing more unexpected than cancer,” she says. “It wasn’t the golden ticket I prayed for … or maybe it was. Just not in the wrapping I expected.”
Faith in the Fire
When life throws a storm your way, you learn quickly what anchors you. For Lexie, that anchor was—and still is—her faith.
“There were definitely moments when I sat there and thought, ‘This is not what I prayed for,’” she admits. “I asked for an opportunity, for clarity, for God to show me my next step. But nowhere in that prayer did I imagine a cancer diagnosis would be the answer.”
And yet, through the whirlwind of doctor’s appointments, scans, surgery, packing boxes and preparing to move cross-country, Lexie found a peace that defied logic.
“It doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared. It doesn’t mean I didn’t cry,” she shares. “There were days I was angry and confused. But I never doubted that God was right there in the middle of it with me.”
The timing was undeniable. The very month she and her neighbor had prayed for an unexpected opportunity was the same month her diagnosis arrived. And within days of scheduling her surgery, Austin received a coaching offer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. One life-changing event collided with another.
So, in late December of 2022 before moving, Lexie had a single mastectomy on her left breast. They moved to Alabama in January, just a few months later. The next month, she underwent a fertility preservation procedure and started hormone therapy treatments to keep her cancer at bay. In March, she started radiation and then rang the bell two months later in May, signaling the end of her treatment.
“In a weird, beautiful way, it felt like everything was both falling apart and falling into place at the same time,” Lexie says. “I had no choice but to trust. To let go of control. To lean into the unknown.”
Her family became her lifeline. Her faith community wrapped around her. Friends and loved ones dropped everything to help pack their home, care for her after surgery and remind her that she wasn’t walking this road alone. They even got a mini goldendoodle, who they named Ozzie, so she could have a furry friend during treatment and recovery.
“It was hard. But it was also sacred,” she says. “There’s something holy about being carried by the people who love you—and by a God who never leaves your side.”
The Golden Ticket Mindset: Redefined
If you had asked Lexie ten years ago what the phrase “golden ticket” meant, she would have pointed to her Purdue scholarship—the moment that unlocked her dream of becoming a Boilermaker. Now, it means something entirely different.
“For me, the golden ticket has become a symbol of the unexpected opportunities life hands us. Sometimes it looks like a scholarship. Sometimes it’s the person you’re meant to marry. And sometimes … sometimes it’s cancer.”
It’s not about the thing itself. It’s about what the thing unlocks.
“Cancer forced me to pause. To reevaluate what mattered. To step away from performing and achieving and constantly chasing the next goal,” she reflects. “It gave me a new lens to see life—how fragile it is, how precious.”
Her golden ticket mindset is simple now: Stay open. Stay faithful. Stay ready for what’s next, even if it looks nothing like what you planned. “Life doesn’t follow our timeline. It rarely goes the way we map it out,” she says. “But if you keep your heart open to the unexpected, you’ll be amazed at what God can do with it.”
Lexie underwent reconstruction surgery in November of 2024 and has been in remission ever since. She will continue to receive hormone therapy treatments for the next several years.
Her Message to Other Women
If there’s one thing Lexie wants every woman reading this to know, it’s this—you are stronger than you think. “Whether it’s a diagnosis, a career change, a season of feeling lost or a door you thought would never close … you are capable of surviving it,” she says. “Not just surviving—thriving.”
“Pray the scary prayers,” she encourages. “The ones that ask for clarity, for purpose, for direction. And then be prepared for God to answer in ways that are bigger, harder and more beautiful than you expected.” Lexie also urges women to check in on their health— no matter their age. “I never imagined breast cancer would be part of my story at 28,” she says. “If something feels off, advocate for yourself. Push for answers. Your intuition is there for a reason.”
The Story Isn't Over
Today, she and Austin are settling back into life in West Lafayette, Indiana, at their old Purdue stomping grounds after her husband accepted a coaching job with Boilermaker football. The move, paired with her recovery, has offered space for reflection— and for dreaming about what comes next.
As far as her cancer journey goes, she is planning on having another single mastectomy in the near future and continues her estrogen-blocking medication as a preventative measure.
While her career path has taken another interesting turn, she is now international regional director at Best Buddies International, one thing is certain—Lexie is called to share her story. To remind others that purpose often grows from pain. That joy can coexist with sorrow. That faith is not the absence of fear but the decision to move forward anyway.
“I don’t know exactly where this leads,” she says. “But I do know that God doesn’t waste anything. Not the good. Not the bad. Not even cancer.”
The True Gift of the Golden Ticket
When we think of golden tickets, we picture doors flinging open, dreams coming true and fairy tale endings. But Lexie’s journey reminds us that sometimes the true gift isn’t the door—it’s the growth that happens when you walk through it.
“I used to think my golden ticket was the scholarship to Purdue,” she reflects. “Now I realize the real golden ticket is resilience. It’s the ability to trust when the path is uncertain. It’s discovering that who you are is not tied to your job, your achievements or even your health.”
Her story is a beacon for anyone wondering what’s next. For anyone standing at the edge of change. For anyone who feels like the life they planned has been flipped upside down.
“The golden ticket doesn’t always come wrapped in gold,” Lexie says. “Sometimes it’s disguised as hardship. Sometimes it’s wrapped in tears, confusion or disappointment. But when you step into it with faith, it leads to the most beautiful destinations.”
Lexie's World, One Post at a Time!
Lexie has turned her pain into purpose by sharing her journey of hope on social media. You can follow her incredible story on Instagram at @lexie_appleby.
