Drew's Surgery in Philadelphia

I will add Drew's original story to this campaign! But, this is the second surgery that my brother, Drew, has had this year to repair his lymphatic system, first was in June. Don't feel obligated to give, but please pray!


Andres “Drew” Marcano was born on October 22nd, 2004 with a rare heart disease, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. We were given 3 options- we could take him home and let him pass away within a few days, hope and pray for a heart transplant, or try a relatively new series of surgeries that could possibly give Drew a longer life span.  We chose the option that God laid on our hearts. At 6 days old, Drew had the Norwood surgery in Boston at Children’s Hospital. He recovered well, and was able to come home to his family. At 4 months old, Drew went back to Boston and underwent his second surgery, the Bi-Directional Glenn. Then, at 3 years old, Drew had the final surgery in the series, also in Boston, the Fontan. All of these surgeries redirected his heart to work on one side of the heart.  Drew has done fairly well, compared to most children with his disease other than frequent plural effusions throughout the year that require extensive hospital stays full of lots of meds and chest tubes (which he HATES, because they are so painful). He has always had to stay at home a lot, lives with a much lower oxygen rate, and isn’t able to play sports like normal kids his age. However, Drew is full of life, NEVER complains about “not being like normal kids”,  and loves God and his family. In January 2017, Drew started coughing non-stop, and we feared the worst. He went in and out of the hospital with all doctors saying that it is just something viral. Eventually, he started coughing up white rubber-like pieces that led to the discovery of him having Plastic Bronchitis. His lymphatic system had been compromised from the high pressures due to his change of physiology. This all means that his lymphatic fluid is leaking into his lungs, effectively smothering him to death. The only cure to live without an immediate heart transplant, is to have a surgery that would seal up his lymphatic system. This surgery can only be done by ONE doctor, at ONE hospital in the whole country. After 5 months of heart caths, lengthy hospital stays, bronchoscopes, and at home treatments that last over 3 hours a day, Drew was finally given the good news that he is a candidate for the operation which can only take place in Philadelphia. So, on June 14th, Drew and his mother, Tammy will be flying out to Philadelphia to finally get the help that Drew needs. We are praying that this changes Drew’s life for the better, and delays the need for an immediate transplant. We love to see Drew have the chance to have more of a normal childhood, and that’s what this surgery could do for him.