When Andrew first received his leukemia diagnosis 11/20/2018 he coped so well with hospitalization, pokes, surgeries, and anything else a new diagnosis threw his way. The hospital was a fun place for him and he liked to show off how brave he was. He would tell everyone he had a “VIP room”. A few months into treatment, Andrew developed fevers a few times and had to remain on isolation for a couple of weeks at a time. He missed out on his class Valentine’s Day party and a couple of movies releases he had anxiously been waiting for, this made him very upset. During this time, he started to exhibit signs of regression and developed severe anxiety about being in the hospital. He appeared especially anxious for procedures, which were not a challenge prior to these admissions. Andrew’s mood was down, and he was not the outgoing, life of the party kiddo that the staff first met.

Thanks to the sweet caring staff at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Andrew has improved so much, and the staff is slowly getting the strong, life of the party Andrew back. We are extremely thankful for the sweet nurses at the Aflac center. They are all so patient when Andrew is having a hard time and the child life, along with music therapists, who have dedicated themselves to come up with ideas to help Andrew cope when having a procedure done. Having a child diagnosed with Cancer is the hardest thing a parent will have to go through, but the Aflac Center makes it a little better and very comforting.

Andrew’s sister Audrey also shaved her head when Andrew had to shave his head.