Our Story

Andrew was just three years old when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 2010.

He was a tenacious little boy and throughout his three and a half years of treatment, rarely complained and handled this challenge in life with the poise of someone much older and much wiser. But, that was Andrew. Throughout his entire life, he possessed what seemed to his parents, Wendy and Matt, to be a philosophical view of the world around him that encompassed critical thought and compassion for others and how their lives could be better – and what he might be able to do to create that for them.

Andrew was just shy of seven years old when he finished his treatment at Dell Children’s Blood and Cancer Center (CBCC), in Austin, Texas.

He was cured of ALL! The family rejoiced at the momentous end of his treatment and the future that now lay ahead. And it was good. As a family, Wendy, Matt, Andrew and his big sister Olivia moved forward with living, laughing and loving. They settled into a more ‘normal’ life, if such a thing exists. School, sleepovers, camping trips with family friends, bike rides in the neighborhood, playing tag, baseball and kickball in the front yard and lots and lots of remote-controlled cars…big ones! They didn’t know it at the time, but the three years following his end of treatment would be what they look back on today as the time when Andrew was happiest. And the memories that those three years produced are some of their most cherished.

The summer of 2017 brought an unexpected, confusing and terrifying change.

Andrew began to show signs of what we only now know was PTSD from his treatment for ALL. His mental health suddenly was forefront, a battle that the family had never waged before. Wendy and Matt sought out help through Dell Children’s and outside clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. He began regular therapy sessions and for a time it greatly helped. Though there were ups and downs, the trend seemed to be in a positive direction through the end of 2019. The Covid-19 Pandemic that started in early 2020, however, erased the progress made and his struggles became more severe and more frequent. In September of 2020, Andrew succumbed to his battle and the family was left broken, but their spirit to fight, while damaged, was still intact.

While still in the hospital with Andrew in September of 2020, Matt, Wendy and Olivia decided that no matter what the outcome of their situation, the family would start a foundation in his honor to help children affected by cancer.

They had no idea what that would be, look like or how it would even be done, but knew it had to happen. They already had the name too. Andrew’s initials are ADE and considering his goal in life was to aid others, it was a simple and perfect choice. The ADE Foundation was born.

Our Story

Andrew was just three years old when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 2010.

Andrew was just shy of seven years old when he finished his treatment at Dell Children’s Blood and Cancer Center (CBCC), in Austin, Texas.

The summer of 2017 brought an unexpected, confusing and terrifying change.

While still in the hospital with Andrew in September of 2020, Matt, Wendy and Olivia decided that no matter what the outcome of their situation, the family would start a foundation in his honor to help children affected by cancer.

They had no idea what that would be, look like or how it would even be done, but knew it had to happen. They already had the name too. Andrew’s initials are ADE and considering his goal in life was to aid others, it was a simple and perfect choice. The ADE Foundation was born.

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