Andrew's Story
written by mom Doris

I found out Andrew had Hydrocephalus when I was 4 months pregnant. Hydrocephalus is also known as water in the brain. The outcome was unknown and doctors gave little hope Andrew would ever lead a happy life.

On December 10th 1996 my son was born by c-section. I remember the first time I held him like it was yesterday. A mother is supposed to protect her child but I was not able to, instead, he was taken from my arms and rushed to the ICU of a different hospital. I didn't get to see him again until the next day. His head was swollen (51 cm) and his skull was broken into 4 pieces due to the pressure in his head. That day he went to surgery and had a shunt placed to drain some of the fluid.

The first year of his life was difficult.. He had a total of 7 surgeries, 2 of them being 13 hour brain surgeries. But never once he stopped fighting and always had the most precious smile on his face.

As the time went on, Andrew beat every odd put in front of him. He walked, talked, laughed but most of all sang. He loved to sing! Some of Andrew's favorite things were trucks, motorcycles, pennies, mashed potatoes and crackers.

Sadly this story does not have a fairy tale ending. Andrew passed away on Jan 9th 2001 just a few weeks after his 4th birthday. He aspirated on his vomit after having the flu. Nothing to do with his Hydrocephalus. Which is so hard to understand. Why now? Why after all this fighting? But I know that Andrew definitely earned his wings... and that we were ever so blessed to be his parents and sister! Andrew will always be loved and never be forgotten...

A Poem I wanted to share:

~~Angel Andrew~~

God created the Heavens and the wind in the trees
He gave us sun in the morning and the big bumble bees
After all this beauty, God still wasn't through
So he created an Angel, and named him Andrew

Andrew came to us one day in December
A small fragile Angel we'd always remember
This Little one needed so much just to live
No one could image how much he would give

This small little Angel showed us a way
To find the joy of living each and everyday
Asking the question "What is your name?"
Forever our lives were never the same.

A few favorite thing this angel had too,
like chewing gum, thin mints and cold Mt. Dew,
Pennies in the pockets of his worn overalls,
and rides on a cycle with his loving grandpa.

This Angel named Andrew, so loved you could see
by Mommy, Daddy and his whole family.
He thrived and he grew beyond all expectation,
this work of the heart, Gods lovely creation.

Then, as God planned He called Andrew home.
But He promised the family they were never alone
See, Love is a spirit that grows within you,
as we live every hour, we remember... Andrew

Though we can't kiss him or caress his sweet face,
We can still one day see him in a beautiful place,
Where all children are happy and Angels abound-
This is where our little Andrew is found.

Living on Earth just won't be the same
without our little Angel, Andrew's his name.
Someday we will find him, when it's our name God calls-
We will see our Angel with pennies in the pockets of his worn overalls.