Nancy Giffin
Sponsor: Friends of Nancy Giffin

Utah
Andrew (Age 7)
Brain Cancer

A normal childhood tumble may have saved 7-year-old Andrew’s life. After Andrew’s fall he was taken to Primary Children’s Medical Center. Doctors took a routine CT scan and were shocked at what they found. Andrew had a medulloblastoma, a brain tumor growing on the brain stem. He was immediately admitted to the PICU and underwent brain surgery the following day.

Fighting cancer was an extremely uphill battle for Andrew. He had 30 continuous days of radiation followed by 56 weeks of chemotherapy. He had nearly every complication and side effect, from infections to fevers and surgery-related complications. Andrew lost many basic functions including walking and talking and spent countless hours in rehab therapy.

With so many difficulties and setbacks, it would be easy for Andrew to be discouraged about all he’s been dealt. But he never gave up, and because of his hard work and incredibly positive attitude Andrew regained all of his physical and mental functions. He feels good to be alive and shares it with others whenever he can. One day while in the hospital for chemotherapy he suddenly jumped up on the bed, singing, “Life could not be better!”