Update on Andrew

Just three more days until the MVP Challenge 5k run/walk on Saturday at Greenlake. Your last chance to register between now and then is Saturday morning starting at 8:30am at the race. Race starts at 10!

We had a second phone consultation yesterday with the doctor from the health clinic in British Columbia. He reviewed Andrew's scans again and spoke with him about the current state of his ascites. He emphasized that his treatment is not curative but rather palliative care. Since they are an out patient clinic the doctor requires Andrew to have a self draining catheter in place so the fluid can be drained off on a daily basis. In Andrew's true fighting and persistent spirit he wants to keep going and keep trying. Andrew met with Dr. Milder today at Swedish and is scheduled to have the procedure tomorrow to have the catheter installed.

Andrew continues to be uncomfortable and in pain so Dr. Milder upped his pain pills today. Hopefully this new dosage will bring Andrew some relief. We also got him compression socks and have him elevate his feet whenever possible and this helps tremendously to reduce the swelling in his legs and feet.

Because of the wonderful person that Andrew is, and the amount of people that love him, he receives multiple emails, phone calls and texts each day. This has proved to be a bit overwhelming for him, so if he does not return your message, please know that he loves you and appreciates your care and concern. Please check here for updates or contact one of us Moritz sisters and we will give you an update if you have not heard back from Andrew. Thank you for understanding.

For all of our Missouri friends and family, go Cardinals!

Dance for Andrew Salsa & Cha Cha Class

Stacey Switzer, Andrew's friend from St. Louis, is offering a salsa and cha cha class to help raise money for Andrew. She did a dance class for Andrew a while back, and has decided to host another one. Stacey, you are so kind and generous! If you live in the St. Louis, MO area please check out the details below!

What: Dance for Andrew Salsa & Cha Cha Class

Where: Simply Ballroom

1244 Hanley Industrial Court

Brentwood, MO 63144

When: Sunday October 30th at 2pm (start arriving at 1:45, class is 1 hour long)

Cost: Minimum $15 donation (no credit cards, cash or checks only)

Bring: You will either have to dance in socks or use a pair of rental ballroom shoes that will be provided to you. No need to bring a partner!

RSVP: Email Stacey Switzer at switzer721@hotmail.com

If you have any questions regarding this class please email Stacey at switzer721@hotmail.com or myself at ekdenton@gmail.com

Thank you!

Seattle Times Article 10/14/11

Today in the Seattle Times Steve Kelley wrote an article about Andrew. Please take the time to read it. You can read it by clicking here or by purchasing the Times and finding it in the Sports section. Thank you to Steve Kelley for publishing this article!

We are just one week away from the race, please sign up today if you haven't already!

Andrew continues to be in pain and continues to fill with fluid. Our mother and Andrew met with the sarcoma specialist from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance this week. He was a fantastic doctor but told Andrew that he did not qualify for the Fred Hutch trial due to Andrew's liver failure. That was really hard to hear. The doctor mentioned one other chemo drug that is normally given to adolescents and comes with a great risk. The side affects were too great and Andrew declined. At this point we are left with the treatment facility in BC. We hope to have Andrew there next week.

Happy Friday and look forward to seeing everyone next Saturday at Greenlake!

5K Run/Walk

Don't forget to sign up for the 5K run or walk coming up in less than 2 weeks at Greenlake in Seattle. Click here to register. Or, if you live out of town or can't make the event, you can donate to the cause via paypal on the sidebar of the blog. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Please continue to pray for and think about Andrew. His body continues to fill with fluid and this causes an extreme amount of pain and discomfort. He got another tap yesterday and this brought some relief but is beginning to fill back up again with fluid. He will probably get drained again in a few days. Please pray that Andrew can get comfortable enough to sleep.

We have a few appointments scheduled for tomorrow, so we will let you know how those go and if they help us decide on a different direction.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Send lots of love in Andrew's direction.

Report from MD Anderson

Hello Friends!

I wanted to share with you the report we received last week from MD Anderson. Andrew's doctor decided that she would not administer any more chemo to Andrew. She feels that it would shorten his life and she is not willing to do that. The tumor in Andrew's liver has overtaken his liver and is causing his liver to fail. He has a condition called ascites which means his liver is leaking fluid. This fluid builds up and causes Andrew to be extremely uncomfortable. He has had it drained several times now and each time they drain out at least 10 pounds of fluid. Dr. Araujo decided the next step for Andrew is hospice.

This has obviously been extremely hard to hear and we as a family have spent the last week processing through all this information. We have decided to not contact hospice and instead we are seeking alternative treatment for Andrew. Andrew is still very much alive and his spirit and mind are telling him to fight. So we are listening! And we are fighting with him. Will you join us?

Today Andrew met with a naturopathic doctor in Bellevue. She was very helpful and prescribed Andrew lots of supplements to start with. She said she can not cure him, but she can help to lengthen his life. She developed a treatment plan for him...(but I don't have all the information, so not exactly sure what it is!) We also have a phone consultation scheduled for Andrew next Tuesday with a health clinic in British Columbia. So we are feeling hopeful about a few of the options we have going right now. We will definitely keep you all posted as we move forward.

And don't forget to sign up for the run/walk at Greenlake in just a few short weeks! We would love to see all of you there.

Thanks for all the love.

Houston Today

Andrew is traveling to Houston this afternoon for a few days of tests and appointments. He has had lots of fluid build up in his abdomen over the last week and has had it drained several times. He is pretty uncomfortable right now and will have to use a wheelchair to navigate through the airports.

Please remember Andrew over these next few days and send him lots of love and encouragement. We really need the doctors to find a new treatment that will work for Andrew. Thank you for all your prayers and support. We appreciate it!

September Update

Andrew enjoyed a recent visit from good friend Daniel

Happy September everyone! I wanted to pop in here and give you all an update on how Andrew is doing and talk about an exciting event coming up next month.

Andrew has had two different scans this summer. One scan was down in Houston in July and a more recent scan was done at Swedish in August. Both scans showed growth in Andrew's tumors. He started a new chemo drug several weeks back and is possibly scheduled to receive it again this week. It all depends on how he is feeling and if his body can handle it. Over the last few months Andrew has been dealing with several different health ailments...weight loss, nausea, extreme exhaustion, headaches, etc. These seem to be the standard issues that arise for people when enduring chemo. Andrew has been fortunate in that he really hasn't had to deal with too many side affects until recently. Andrew is trying to remain as positive and hopeful as possible. Some days are just tough though and it feels as though there is no good news in sight. He continues to plug along and enjoy his family and friends and of course now there is football to watch!

In light of all this, we are excited to announce an awesome fundraiser that is coming up in just over a month. On Saturday October 22 there will be a 5k run/walk at Greenlake, with all proceeds going directly to Andrew's medical fund. Andrew's medical bills have been staggering this year, as he is now responsible to pay for 20% of all his medical bills. We ask everyone that is able to,to please sign up for this wonderful event. You can click here or click on the link on the sidebar to sign up. It's a great cause and a wonderful excuse to spend an autumn morning with your friends and family exercising. If you are not able to run or walk but would like to donate, you can click on Andrew's medical fund paypal button on the sidebar of this blog.

Please email me at ekdenton@gmail.com with any questions you may have.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. Andrew really needs a lot of love and encouragement right now. You all are a wonderful support team.

Elizabeth, for the whole Moritz crew

Uncle Drew and Sonja Drew, 1 year ago!

Andrew's biggest fans!