Cheering up a time of Stranger Things

Andrew and his family are not strangers to stranger things.  At just minutes old, Andrew developed pneumonia. The first years of his life were spent being sick off and on. What makes someone so young get so sick? At the age of two, Andrew began aggressive treatment to combat the cause of his illness. He was diagnosed with hypogammaglobulinemia, or low IgG, which means his body doesn’t make enough of the antibodies that help fight off infection and keep us healthy.

Because Andrew doesn’t make enough of his own antibodies, the treatment he needs requires him to receive extra antibodies from donors intravenously. To be sure that he gets enough antibodies to keep him healthy, these treatments usually need to be administered about three times per week. Getting these treatments means spending a lot of time in the hospital on top of the time spent there for being sick; it can make you feel like you’re in another dimension.

Even with the treatment, Andrew still continues to get infections. These infections are causing permanent damage to his lungs and their condition continues to worsen. But, for his eighth birthday, our Icing Smiles Sugar Angel Kathleen Bentley turned his frown Upside Down with an amazing Stranger Things cake! His family was very grateful for the extra special for touch on his special day. Andrew’s mother Deanna took the extra effort to contact us and let us know that “it was unbelievable! I just don’t have the right words to express our gratitude!”

Submitted by contributing blogger Megan Glynn.