On January 13, 2022, we took our 7-year-old son Andrew Lovell for his routine eye exam. The doctors noticed Andrew had brain swelling while performing his retinal exam. They told us to immediately take Andrew to an emergency room and see a Neurologist. The Valley Children's Hospital doctors performed an MRI and found a large brain tumor the size of a plum inside Andrew's brain. Andrew was rushed into brain surgery within 24 hours to start removing the brain tumor. Luckily, after three long surgeries, the doctors removed the entire tumor successfully. Now we had to wait for the final pathology to determine the exact type of brain tumor. The final pathology confirmed it was a Germ Cell Tumor containing Pure Germinoma, which responds well to treatment. Germinoma is a Grade 2 cancer.
We followed the treatment plan described by the Children's Oncology Group of four cycles of chemotherapy followed by six consecutive weeks of Radiation. I am happy to announce Andrew has completed all four cycles of Chemotherapy and six weeks of Proton Therapy Radiation in San Diego. We have currently received several clear scans post-treatment. The doctors are very optimistic about Andrew's long term success.
Once treatment ended and the recovery began, we were notified by Make-A-Wish that they were ready to grant Andrew's Wish. He wanted to swim with the dolphins and see where they filmed Jurassic Park so we went to Oahu, Hawaii on an unforgettable trip of healing. The experience was so good for Andrew, we have decided to pay it forward by creating hope and joy for other wish kids like Andrew.
Your support, in Andrew’s name, will stay local in our Central Valley to create another life-changing wish for a child when they need it the most, to battle a critical illness..
