Today is the second aniversary of Andy’s stem cell transplant.
THANK YOU
Thank you Vero for being there with us.
Dr. Maya, thank you for teaching us that some doctors are simply saturated.
Dr. Maulen, your were right (more or less). Thank you for making me understand that gamma globulin is not a bad thing.
Dr. Kretchmer (Rest in Peace), thank you for saving his life on numerous occasions and at the same time teaching me the most important lessons of our lifetime. Thank you teaching us that “Absence of proof is not a proof of absence” and thank you for all the other phrases that kept us busy while trying to find Andy’s diagnosis.
Dr. Madrazo, thank you for trying to understand.
Dr. Martinez Natera, thank you for being the first one to mention (indirectly) genetic conditions.
Hospital ABC Nurses, thank you for the introduction to pumps and catheters (it could have been worst)
Dr. Sanchez thank you for your calculations and for teaching us that Andy could get nutrition through his veins.
Dr. Gimenez thank you for the introduction to basic medical research.
Dr. Torres thank you for being there in Christmas at the OR. Thank you for teaching us that having a hole in the stomach (literally) is not that bad.
Dr. Sokol thank you for the introduction to gastroenterology.
Dr. Gelfand thank you for teaching us that medical research comes in different languages.
Dr. Melgoza thank you for being honest and telling us to go.
Dr. Vazquez, thank you for taking care of him, thank you for taking care of me.
Dr. Nurko, thank you for your trust and thank you for always being there when we need you. Thank you for having very good hands. Thank you for talking on the radio about Andy.
Dr. Turvey, thank you for the first written diagnosis and thank you for your help with official letters.
Joanna Hedstrom thank you for your help with hospital bills.
Dr. Orange, thank you for your incredible mind. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for discovering NEMO and thank you for the inspiration to create this website. Thank you for inviting us for dinner and thank you for Andy’s 2nd birthday party. Thank you for being there in the ER when I was away and saving his life. Thank you for letting us know that there’s someone else out there. And thank you for teaching us that there’s always an option.
Dr. Geha, thank you for knowing who we are and for being there all the time. Thank you for letting us step into your office anytime and for answering emails so fast.
Nurse Ana Maria, thank you for teaching us how to take care of Andy.
Nurse Ruth, thank you for making us smile.
Nurse Aimee, thank you for teaching us that nurses also cry.
Dr. Gellis, thank you for helping us find about ectodermal dysplasia.
Thank you Mary Kaye Richter for answering our messages and referring us to Dr. Zonana.
7 East thank you for being our second home and for the introduction to Boston. Thank you for teaching us how to do intramuscular injections.
Carole F. thank you for your friendship and for listening to us.
To Parents of children who passed away while we were in the hospital, thank you for the creative spiritual influence. And to the Children who passed away while we were in the hospital, rest in peace.
8 East thank you for letting us paint the windows.
Dr. Borovoy, thank you for keeping him safe.
Mr. Albater, thank you for teaching me that being in the hospital with Children is tougher than being a prisoner of war.
Dr. Zonana, thank you for finding NEMO.
Dr. Murray, thank you for the introduction to genetic tests using a buccal swab.
Dr. Bale, thank you for confirming the genetic diagnosis.
Vicki and Fred Modell thank you for telling us about transplants and thank you for all the invitations to the Red Sox games, dinner parties and boat trips. And thank you for all that you do for children with primary immune deficiencies.
Dr. Pai, thank you for being right. Thank you for following our story and for being right again, and thank you for knocking on wood.
Dr. Frank thank you for talking to us about genetics.
Dr. Harris, thank you for telling me I could be a doctor.
Dr. Hughes, thank you for your generosity and your explanations about pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.
Dianne Gates, thank you for all the in vitro fertilization medication vials.
Dr. Jain, thank you for knowing so much about NEMO.
Dr. Cardone, thank you for giving us more options.
Dr. Hardy thank you for implanting the right cells and advicing us to let them settle.
Max Leonardo, thank you for the IVF medications and thank you Lupita for your help.
Renee Genovese, thank you for being so professional when talking about genetics.
Arden Hill thank you for teaching us that playing with food is not a bad thing.
Vicki Nahmad, thank you for introducing us to the school system in Massachusetts.
Shannon Hennig, Holly Suda, Leigh-Anne Porter, Laura Merl, Kim Deveau Dern, thank you for eating with Andy.
Elyse Topp-Poirier thank you for running the Boston marathon for Andy twice.
Brian Serroul thank you for running the Boston marathon for Andy.
Mark Porter thank you for running the Boston marathon for Andy.
Dr. Samuels thank you for teaching us about regular padiatrics.
-Jorge Luis d’Argence gracias por correr el maratón de Paris por Andy.
Dr. Verlinsky thank you for your generosity and for doing what you do.
Dr. Butte thank you for your friendship and for keeping us in touch with other families with primary immune deficiencies.
Dr. Lemon, thank you for saving his life.
Nurse Kelli, thank you for your friendship, thank you for making it fun and doing it right. Thank you for defying gravity and for putting a smile on his face. Thank you for running the marathon for Andy.
Dr. Sachs, thank you for treating us like normal people and thank you for reading all those emails.
Dr. Lehman, thank you for saving Andy’s life and thank you for taking care of Sofia. Thank you for making it easier.
Nurse Maura, thank you for arriving just in time and for saving Andy’s life.
Nurse Lissa, thank you for talking to me about gadgets in the middle of the night.
Dr. Callaway, thank you for making it fun, your political career is not over.
Nurse Robin, thank you for directing the World Series trophy to Andy’s room.
Nurse Lissa P. thank you for teaching us that nurses also use skateboards.
Six West thank you for showing us the fun part of tough things and difficult moments.
To the Phlebotomists, thank you for trying your best.
To the people we’ve never met like Lab. Technitians, or Pharmacists who mix medications, thank you.
Thank you Mr. Cyr for letting my name be next to yours.
Thank you Bess for following our story.
To Andy’s blood donors:
Mauricio Hernandez thank you, you have very good veins.
Jorge Elliot thank you.
Ana Jose Z. de Gonzalez thank you.
Children’s Hospital Denver blood bank, thank you.
Salvador Albino, thank you.
Agustin Hernandez Aguirre, thank you.
Children’s Hospital Boston blood bank, thank you.
To the people who registered (or at least tried to register) as stem cell donors through a public registry for Andy thank you.
And to the people who registered through our own registry (via Fedex) and donated $80 to do it, thank you.
To the volunteers that took care of Andy, Claudia, Ivonne, Carolina, Ana Jose, Myrna, Rocio, Male, Ana Jose Rosas, Dolores (Lita), Mariana, Rosa Elena and Alejandra, thank you.
Thank you to Andy’s teachers at Lawrence School, NorthEastern and Burr.
Thank you Roberta for being Andy’s tutor and for your friendship.
Thank you Mala for your help.
Thank you to our Family Members and Friends who followed the story, thank you for the messages of support and for your prayers.
To my Dad, my Father in Law and my Grandfather, thank you for your financial support.
Opapa thank you for calling so often to see how we were doing. Thank you for visiting us.
To those of you who have a “I helped Andy” T-shirt, baseball cap, or flash light key chain, thank you. Or raffle tickets, bracelets, calling cards, golf balls and the ones who bought a bag of coffee or a box of peaches, thank you. And thank you to the sponsors of all the products.
To the people who didn’t buy anything but did send a donation, thank you.
Special thanks to the person who bought a door through Andy’s website (yes we sold a door through Andy’s website).
Thank you Ricardo for all the autographs. And thank you to all the people who helped us find autographs.
Thank you Doña Margot for your support.
Thank you Doña Soco for your prayers.
Thank you Victor for your help selling tickets for the raffle and all the volunteers that sold nine hundred and ninety nine tickets. Nat, Pericles, Diego Ch. Ale d’A., Francisco Gonzalez, Antonio Mayer, Paty Piña, Ana Paula O., Maaike del Villar, David Castillo, Chendo V., Mimi Gomez, Male F., Fernando B., Maguis, Luz Ma. d’A., Alma Rosa, Jose Manuel O., Lucia F., Jerry Galvan, Marysela R., Eugenio S., Ileana, Kike, thank you. Thank you Victor for talking about Andy in front of hundreds of people.
Thank you Carmina & Manolo for teaching us about transplant. You are strong!
Thank you Victor for talking about Andy in the radio. Thank you for the fundraising ideas.
Thank you Maguis & Ana Jose for selling calling cards and all the volunteers who sold calling cards.
Thank you to all the people who left a message at Andy’s website.
Thank you Don Don Alfredo & Lupita for your help. And thank you Lupita for your speech during Sofia’s baptism.
Thank you Dad for talking about Andy in front of hundreds of peopls. Thank you for your spiritial support. Thank you for crying with me. Thank you for your letter.
Thank you Mom for reading my blog and thank you for talking about Andy in the radio. Thank you for being so positive.
Andy celebrated yesterday bowling with his friends from school, Chris, Hano and Stephen.
Please keep Cooper, Jack, Jackson, Jacob, Keith, Rhys and Simon in your prayers.