Good Things In the Bad
6 West
When I was getting my transplant, they put me on a special floor for transplant patients, called 6 West. It was amazing! They had a PlayStation, DVD players, and cool lights that could change color. Everybody there was very, very nice. I spent a lot of time there, and even though it was hard, by the time I left, it felt like home.
My Name on Girders
When I was at Children’s, they were building a new tower next door. I loved watching the construction workers! One day, I asked my Papa to put a sign in my window that said, “My name is Andy. You are my heroes” A few hours later, they spray-painted my name on the girders! It made me feel very special.
Helping Other Kids
Even though it was really hard to be sick for so long, I’m happy because now doctors can use my success to help other children. For instance, one of my doctors, Dr. Paul Leroux, is using my leftover stem cells to study the condition I have, NEMO. Hopefully, they will find new treatments so that other children like me can be healthy from the very beginning!
Disney World
They have something called the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to kids who are very sick. I wished to go to Disney World, and they did it! My whole family went, the November before my transplant. It was so cool – they drove us in a limousine, and we got to go to the front of every line in the park!
Costumes and Dance Parties
The people at Children’s were really creative about finding ways to make things fun even though we were sick. On Halloween, everybody would wore costumes – even the OR nurses! Another time, we had a dance party. My nurse brought in a conga drum, and everybody danced around.