Andrew's Avengers

My name is Jill Shull, I am from Franklin, PA, and this amazing 4 year-old little boy is my nephew,  Andrew O'Neil.   Andrew's parents are Jaime Hagerty O'Neil (my one and only sister) and Brian O'Neil .  They reside in the eastern Pittsburgh region.  Andrew has a 7 year-old brother Matthew who absolutely adores him.  April 15th, 2015 is a day our family will never forget! It was the day Andrew was taken to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh ER by his parents after some ongoing symptoms that progressively worsened and it was the night we found out Andrew had a large tumor on his kidney.  The phone call I received from my sister telling me what was happening was one that I will never, ever forget in my lifetime.  Initially, Andrew's parents were told that they thought  he had a Wilm's tumor on his kidney and that he was going to have surgery the next day to remove his entire kidney/tumor.  Later that evening, his family was informed that surgery was cancelled and there were thoughts that the tumor might be much more involved than just a Wilm's tumor.  After surgical biospy of the tumor and bone marrow along with many other nuclear tests/scans, it was determined that Andrew had a Stage 3, high-risk, neuroblastoma that was not operable at the present time.  This was not the news that Andrew's parents were hoping for because it meant that he would undergo a very, very aggressive treatment plan that will include 6 rounds of inpatient chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, a major surgery, stem cell harvesting/transplant therapy, radiation and maintenance retinoid therapy/immunotherapy.  It is estimated that his entire treatment program will take 1 and 1/2 years to complete.  This aggressive approach is necessary to save Andrew's life!!  So, on 4/24/15 he initiated his first round of chemo and his fight began. And on that day, so did our family's fight begin! A fight for life, a fight to keep a family unit together, a fight for normalcy, and a fight to keep all of the things that Andrew's parents have worked so hard to give their family.  This Go Fund Me pledge is being made to help Andrew and his family be able to fight this battle with less financial burden and hardship...as the costs that will be incurred with frequent hospitalizations, chemotherapy, radiation, and stem cell therapy will be astronomical.  It will likely mean extended periods of time off of work for one or both parents and possibly even one of them needing to stay home regularly (both parents currently work full-time) to care for Andrew through this difficult time in their lives! I LOVE my family with all my heart and soul and our entire family will be at their side during this fight.  There has been an overwhelming response and desire to help from friends, family, co-workers, and the community.  This fund will give everone interested the opportunity to help when and where it is needed.  Please, please, please help us help them...so they can focus all of their energy into helping Andrew beat neuroblastoma.