Support Andi's Journey to Recovery

On June 27th, 2025, my Godson Andrew Stratton had a life-altering mishap with a firework.

Andrew (better known as Andi to most of us) turned 18 in March & he graduated from Anderson County High School this past May. He had the world at his feet & he was making the most of it. To know Andi is to love him. He’s full of life, always has a smile on his face & is genuinely a good young man.

Andi had been living with friends, working full-time with a construction company & embracing the independence he had found.

On June 27th, Andi met friends in Lawrenceburg after work. He got out of the car, leaned over to light a mortar (firework) that had been handed to him & within seconds the firework had exploded in his left hand, he lit the fuse & the mortar instantly exploded. There was no ‘horseplaying’ or negligence on Andi’s part… simply a freak accident. Within minutes, Anderson fire & EMS were on the scene. But the damage had already been done; most of Andi’s left hand was gone. He was taken to UK, where he went into emergency surgery that night. The surgeon saved what she could of his left hand & cleaned up his original injury very well. Andi came out of surgery with pins in his left pinky, half of his thumb & his three middle fingers were gone down to the knuckle. He had singed his eyelashes, eyebrows, hairline & his chest hair almost completely gone. His Oakley sunglasses saved his eyesight, although for the next several days we were flushing small black firework debris from them, resulting in severe cornea scratches. He had severe superficial burns on his face near his lips & all of his lower stomach. His left hand was splinted & pins put into what was left of his thumb.

Andi remained in the Acute Care unit of UK hospital until July 9th.

Andi is now home with his family. But now he is having to rely on several meds, dressing changes, therapies & several more surgeries in the upcoming weeks/months. The future for his hand is unknown & that in itself is terrifying, as a mother & as an 18-year-old. While his doctors wait for Andi’s body to decide what skin it’s going to save & what it isn’t, he’s trying to find a new normal. He wants to go back to work eventually & loved doing what he did. But with that comes the need for a prosthetic hand. And his insurance will only cover what is needed for ‘cosmetic’. Andi will need something more adapted to his lifestyle & that’s where we all come in. He needs our help. Every penny donated will go to a fund to help him regain his independence, to a prosthetic hand that he can maintain a ‘normal’ adult life.