For most eleven-year-olds, daily life consists of concerns like school, friends, the latest movie, and having some fun. But for Wichita, Kansas resident Andrew Ewertz, his life was thrown into uncertainty.
After coming down with extreme headaches that caused him to vomit, Ewertz was diagnosed with migraines. His mother persisted in requesting further testing when Ewertz continue to have symptoms. According to the family’s GoFundMe page, doctors discovered a large tumor on his cerebellum on December 20, 2018.
Doctors said he required emergency surgery, and he was airlifted to the hospital that same day. The surgery successfully removed a medulloblastoma, but Ewertz’s journey was just beginning.
Andrew Ewertz via GoFundMe
For nine months, he would continue treatments at Saint Jude in Memphis, Tennessee. The boy would require chemotherapy and follow-up checkups. His prognosis was an 80 percent survival rate, with a 25 percent chance of reoccurrence.
KWCH12 shared this video of Ewertz’s surprise Christmas at the hospital. A huge group of friends and family arrived to help him celebrate. Then Santa showed up and brought a big smile to his face. (see video below)
Ewertz’s mother, Sara Moore, faced financial struggles as she took unpaid leave from work to care for her son. As the family provider, she risked losing the family’s home. The report suggests they had to move in with other family members to get by.
“I’ll lay down my life for him to make sure that he gets the best treatment and the best care always,” said Moore.
Sara Moor with her son via KWCH12
The family pulled together and ensured that Ewertz got the best care, and today there is some extremely good news. Now 12-years-old, and nine months after his ordeal began, Andrew Ewertz is cancer-free.
KWCH12 reported on his reaction when he learned he was finally going home again.
“All the time that we’ve been there, I’ve always been excited ‘like mom when can we go home’ and when he came in and said that I was- I was just so happy,” Ewertz said.
The hospital staff celebrated with a cheer:
“Pack up your backs, get out the door; you don’t need chemo anymore!”
Now he can get back to the small things, like laughing and spending time with his sister.
“After around nine months of being away, it feels great to be home,” said Ewertz.
Andrew Ewertz via GoFundMe
As for his mom, she is grateful and knows how fortunate they are.
“It’s all you can wish and hope for out of this horrible situation, that you know we made it out of it where some children and families don’t,” Moore said.
Although this cancer survivor is happy at home again, he’ll need follow-up visits to make sure the abnormal cells don’t return. Each visit to the medical center is a scary reminder, and he still requires multiple medications.
“Even though I’m done with it, it’s like I’m getting it over and over and the effects just come back,” Ewertz said.
Let’s all pray that Ewertz’s cancer never returns and that doctors find a cure for this horrible disease ASAP.
If you wish to help the family, you can find their GoFundMe page here. So far, they have raised almost $6K but have a goal of $25K to pay for ongoing expenses.
See the happy moment Andrew Ewertz found out he was cancer-free below: