CHS graduate turns passion into purpose in memory of mother

By Hayden Buchert
UKNow

From the time she was in middle school, Lexi Herbeck knew she wanted to be a Kentucky Wildcat. Long before she even stepped foot on campus, her mind was set.

Herbeck grew up in the small town of Millstadt, Illinois. In eighth grade, she traveled to Lexington for a Beta Club convention held at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Her group had the opportunity to step onto the UK basketball court, and it was a moment that shaped her future.

“I went home that day when I was 13 years old and told my mom that I was going to go to school there,” Herbeck said. “And she told me, ‘OK, but you have a lot of time before that happens.”

In the same year Herbeck stood on the basketball court, dreaming of being a Wildcat, her mom was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer. Once Herbeck was in high school, she knew it was time to visit UK to explore the campus for herself. With her mother being sick, her grandparents stepped in to take her on the college visit.

“It was the middle of COVID-19, and everything was shut down,” said Herbeck. “I still wanted to visit. So, we went and everything was closed. But to me it was a very intimate experience. There were not many people walking around, and I fell in love with it.”

When she was a sophomore in high school, only 15 years old, Herbeck’s mother died after battling the aggressive cancer for two years.

“My mom has affected most of my choices in life,” Herbeck said. “I told her I was going to come to UK, and I did it. She’s the whole reason why I do what I do.”

Herbeck became a UK student in the fall of 2022. She decided to pursue a degree in medical laboratory sciences (MLS) through the College of Health Sciences.

The MLS program teaches students to provide essential clinical information to health care providers and ensure reliable results that contribute to the prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of physiological and pathological conditions. Typically graduates of this program pursue advanced degrees in medicine or specialize in areas such as hematology, clinical chemistry, toxicology or immunohematology (blood banking).

While Herbeck’s mother was going through cancer treatment, Herbeck watched as a variety of health providers played a role in caring for her.

“As I got older, my mom would share her test results with me, and I would always want to know more about it,” Herbeck said. “I would think about the work going on behind the scenes in the hospital to get the results to us.”

The curiosity behind her mom’s laboratory tests is what sparked her interested in the MLS field.

“I discovered the MLS program and knew I always wanted to help people and be in a hospital setting,” Herbeck said. “I fell in love with the program at UK. Each tube is a patient. Each lab result is a person that you are helping. In this field we are giving an insight into what is going on inside someone’s body.”

Herbeck feels she was truly meant to end up in MLS because she got to experience the “why” behind all kinds of medical diagnosis. Even though she won’t always see a patient directly, she knows her work in the lab makes an impact on them.

“During my clinical training, I had a realization that these patients are humans that come into hospital and they trust everyone in it,” said Herbeck. “What we do matters, and their lives are in our hands to an extent. But they don't see us firsthand, we are behind the scenes, so it’s our job in MLS uphold the patients trust in us to take their sample and help in finding answers to give them the best care and outcomes.”

Herbeck currently works at the Kentucky Blood Center in the reference lab, where they receive specimens from hospitals to process and issue blood for the patients that have antibodies. On paper, she recognizes patients who come through regularly. Though they might never see her, she makes an effort to go above and beyond everyone she cares for behind the scenes.

“I hope that someone felt that way about my mom,” Herbeck said. “These patients are going through tough times and I have empathy. My mom meant a lot to me, and I stood by her side. Now I want to stand by the patient’s side, even though they don’t always know I’m there, I’m still doing everything I can to take care of them.”

During her time at UK, Herbeck also took care of the campus community. She has been involved in several student organizations, truly making the campus her home.

Herbeck participated in the CHS Summer Bridge Program, was a peer mentor for three years and worked as a student employee with campus recreation. She has always had a heart for serving the community she’s in.

“I prided myself on constantly being able to know everyone’s name and being a light around campus,” Herbeck said, “I love talking to people. I love getting to know people’s experiences and just sharing my love for UK because it is a wonderful place.”

Getting to know so many different people across campus is one of her greatest accomplishments.

“People teach you a lot. Meeting so many different people and being friends with them, I learned so much. And I choose to learn; I want to expand my knowledge on everything. I’ve talked to so many people here and I would never trade that for the world.”

Now as she prepares to graduate from the College of Health Sciences MLS program this December, it feels like the end of a chapter.

“With my mom being sick for so long, the impact of that on my younger years and growing up not having her, I needed some closure,” Herbeck said. “Going through these classes and the whole program really brought me that sense of closure because we learned so many things about how cancer affected her.”

Once Herbeck crosses the Commencement stage, she is excited to begin her new role as a hospital lab tech. Her future is bright. Though she will start her career in the lab, she hopes to one day become an MLS professor, teaching future students and making an impact just as the faculty at UK have done for her.