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With a cheerful and kind disposition, few people had anything bad to say about 16 year old Kevin Andreas. He’s the type of person you think about when you say “bad things don’t happen to good people.” However, as we all know, bad things do happen to good people and it did. Towards the end of May, Kevin was diagnosed with brain cancer. Needless to say, friends, family and all who knew him even in passing were speechlessly horrified. That, however, did not last long. Despite the grief felt by many, a determination to help Kevin and his family rose up. Money was being donated and raised left and right, prayers and support of every form were being offered and love, so much love, was being sent Kevin’s way. It came to everyone’s relief, especially friends and family, when Kevin pulled through and finally came home this past August. When I approached Kevin and his mom to do this interview, both were ecstatic by the request and were eager to participate. Again I thank them both so much for agreeing to the interview and on a personal note I’m incredibly thankful that Kevin was well enough to be able to have this interview in the first place.

*Note: Mrs. Andreas had to respond for Kevin for many of these due to Kevin being unable to really comprehend what was happening during the worst parts of his stay at the hospital. I will specifically note the ones Kevin responded to.

• What was it like for you and the family when Kevin was first diagnosed?
  We were shocked and devastated.  There were a wide range of emotions.  I felt like the whole world stopped and I was frozen in time.
• Did you have any inkling of what was wrong with Kevin?  
  We knew something was going on but never thought of a brain tumor.  It was a slow progression at first and Kevin wasn’t able to tell us what was wrong.

• What was the exact condition Kevin was in when he first got hospitalized (what kind of tumor, treatment, etc)?
  The week prior to his diagnosis Kevin was rapidly declining.  The first thing they told me was that they could not operate on this tumor and remove it.  They had to go in and take a biopsy to determine what type of tumor it was before they could come up with a treatment plan.  A week after diagnosis they told us it was a pure germinoma, which is highly receptive to both chemotherapy and radiation, however by this point it had taken over 90% of his brain and blocked his ventricular system so all of the fluid in his brain was sitting on top of his head causing a lot of pressure.  The right and left sides of his brain were not communicating because the tumor was blocking the pathway.

• Were you surprised by the amount of support and love shown by TWP once everything really came out? How did you feel about it?
  Both: It was overwhelming how everyone came together to help our family.  We will never be able to fully express our gratitude and appreciation to everyone!

• What was the hardest part for you? *directed at Kevin and Mrs. Andreas*
  Kevin really didn’t know what was going on and took everything in stride.  His attitude has always been upbeat and pleasant.  He was comforting ME!  For me, there were many hard parts at many different times through his treatment, but it was the waiting. Waiting each time he was in surgery, waiting for test results, waiting for treatment, waiting to see if the treatment would work, and still waiting for the doctors to say this is gone!

• What is his current condition as of now?
  Kevin is doing well and working hard to get back to where he was before this tumor started growing.  Attitude is everything and his is great.  He is and always has been so positive about his condition.  Kevin is truly our hero!

• When will he be back at school and is he going to be a sophomore or a junior?
  The current plan is for him to go back to school in January but, we have learned through all of this that the plan can change at any time.  Kevin is a junior and will graduate with his class in 2017!

• How involved will you be in school activities like Prom, Bowling, Powderpuff, etc?
  We are waiting for word that he can participate in these activities.  

• What’s been the greatest comfort for you through this all?
  Both: Definitely each other.

• What/Who/Why are you really grateful or thankful for throughout this whole experience?
  Both: We are very grateful that this diagnosis is treatable.  We are very grateful for our family, friends, doctors, nurses, strangers, and all the people we met and are meeting throughout this journey.  We could not have done this alone!  The support, love, and prayers we received kept us going.

• What has this experience taught you?
  Kevin: This experience has really taught me how kind people can really be, and how helpful they can be. I definitely would not have been able to get through this whole situation without the help of other people. It has also taught me how important family really is, which is another thing I would not have been able to get through without.
  Mrs. Andreas: The world is full of good people.  We all need each other.  There are heroes walking among us every day and we have been very blessed to have such people in our lives!