Let's send Rhod and Diane to NJ to visit Andrew!

My name is Nicole Meade Jensen, cousin to Andrew and niece to Rhod and Diane. If you know Andrew, you know he's got a personality for days, lights up a room, and has never met a stranger. As kids, we grew up camping and roaming the neighborhood, attending the same high school and hanging out like siblings. It is impossible to go anywhere with Andrew without several interruptions in your conversation with him, as he greets or is greeted by all the people he knows. He is that person who draws others to him in the best way - a shining light. Andrew's in a tough moment right now after suffering an aortic aneurysm, with lots of rehab ahead. He is lucky to be alive, thanks to his husband Ron and the skills of his surgeons, but his life is changed, and change is always hard and scary. Andrew is across the country from his large and loving family, and as much as we know he is surrounded by the love of his husband and friends, we want his parents to get to see and support him too. This GoFundMe is to provide Rhod and Diane with funds to fully cover the costs of traveling to visit Andrew, Airbnb for them while they are there, rental car, meals, and whatever else they may need to be a support to Andrew (and Ron) as Andrew moves forward.

Rhod and Diane lost their daughter, Cinda, Andrew's only sibling, to breast cancer in 2006. Their strength and love in the face of that loss were inspiring, as I know their strength in supporting Andrew back to full health will be. While we can't carry the emotional load for Rhod and Diane, we can work together to shoulder the financial burden of getting them in the same room as their son. If you've shared a bowl of homemade menudo in Rhod and Diane's home, talked with them about art or music, or bumped into them at the family Safeway, you know what kind, warm, inclusive people they are. Let's surround them and Andrew with love and support now. Many hands make light work! Who's with me?