Meet Andrew: 2022 College Scholar

Our College Scholars receive a financial scholarship to help with academic expenses, and each scholar commits to undertaking a volunteer project of their choosing related to childhood cancer advocacy, with support and mentorship from the Children's Cancer Cause team.

Andrew’s Story

Andrew, a native of Southington, Connecticut, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when he was seven years old.

“Instantly, my life changed,” Andrew remembers. “Instead of being a typical seven year old, I was a pediatric cancer patient battling an aggressive form of cancer.”

Cub scouts, sports, and weekend hikes abruptly stopped. In addition to eight months of chemotherapy, Andrew needed a 16 hour complicated limb salvage surgery that had been performed only once before.

“It took me more than a year to walk again. I missed almost a year of school because I was just too sick to learn,” says Andrew. “But my cancer journey gave meaning and purpose to my life, resulting in a strong commitment of service to my family, my school, and my community.”

Andrew was unable to play contact sports after his leg surgery so he learned to play golf, becoming a top player on his high school team and receiving the award for Most Improved in 2021.

Today, Andrew is an honor student, a student representative to the local Board of Education, and an ambassador/spokesperson for multiple cancer nonprofits. He plans to study mechanical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston.

Andrew’s Advocacy Project

For his volunteer project, Andrew plans to raise awareness about pediatric sarcomas through motivational speeches, donating his speaking fees to charity. Andrew hopes that by sharing his cancer journey with others, “the various obstacles and challenges that I have overcome in my life can serve as inspiration and motivation to others.”

Andrew also plans to create an online resource focused on pediatric osteosarcoma. “Sadly, it has been more than 40 years since there has been a new chemotherapy drug for osteosarcoma. I want to provide information on the latest treatments, clinical trials, and ongoing research,” says Andrew. “By sharing resources, I hope to help create a support network for pediatric sarcoma caregivers, patients, survivors, and their families.”