Andy Gann

Nominated by a great friend in our soccer community, Andy has a story that illustrates the importance of friendships, support, and community.

In mid July of 2021, Andy went to the ER with horrible stomach pain and vomiting. While there, he learned his lymph nodes were enlarged. A CT scan and biopsy were done, which led to an initial diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma. As I’ve gotten to know Andy, I can only think of one word that comes immediately to mind when describing him: positive.

Upon that diagnosis, here is what Andy shared to his community:

This type of cancer is very responsive to a standard chemo protocol and I will be starting 6 rounds of chemotherapy beginning on Friday 7/23. I don't want to get into numbers/statistics, but they are definitely in my favor. So, things are positive. and you all know how much of a stubborn a-hole, fighter I am, so... this cancer doesn't really stand a chance.

He started a standard chemo regimen fairly quickly with a positive attitude and minimal side effects. His family and soccer community were always there to support and encourage him, even though he’s a ManU fan (HA!).

Less than two weeks after his diagnosis, his genetic testing results came back showing that Andy had a rare, very aggressive variant of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, known as “double hit.” It changed his treatment plans, but never his outlook.

It’s just a speed bump on my way to being cancer free.

Seeking a second opinion, Andy and his wife, Kim, went to MD Anderson to see if any other treatment options were available. As a testament to the wonderful oncologist Andy had already been meeting with at UT, MD Anderson told him that he was already in great care and receiving the best treatment regimen available and he wouldn’t have to travel to Texas. While there, he also learned he had a 50-70% chance of a complete remission over the next 5 years and in typical Andy style, he was thrilled with the news.

Even during treatment, Andy did his best to make every get together to support his favorite teams and stay connected to his soccer community. Luckily, he was able to be fitted with a pump so his chemo could be administered at home.

Andy may be the only person battling cancer who I’ve ever heard say something along the lines of, “I’m so glad my bloodcounts are up so I can increase my chemo dosage.” But, that’s the positivity he brings and it’s infectious to everyone around him.

In October Andy had a PET scan that showed 90% of his cancer was already gone. Even his nurse practitioner told him that his bone marrow was a “rock star.”

Did I mention he was also pursuing his MBA during all of these treatments?!? WITH A 4.0 GPA?!? I don’t think it’s just his bone marrow that’s a rock star…

With one day left before finishing his treatments, Andy posted this:

T - 1 day

I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to everyone who has prayed for me, helped me out physically, driven me to treatment, sent positive energy/thoughts, interacted and/or commented on my posts, sent a message or text, card, gift, phone call, or ANYTHING!

Thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart. Truly, I am beyond grateful for each and every one of you and am amazed at the outpouring of kindness from my friends, new and old. There is no doubt in my mind that each random act of kindness and word of encouragement helped me on this journey.

Since July 17th I have been in or at the hospital for a total of 53 visits. At the end of my treatment, I will have had 27 days in an infusion chair, 25 blood draws (not counting the countless draws while I was inpatient), 6 inpatient days, 5 lumbar punctures, 3 CTs, and 1 pet scan.

Through it all I have had side effects of severe headaches, peripheral neuropathy, chemo brain fog, nausea, fatigue, extreme mood swings (thanks, prednisone), severe bone pain (shout out to nulasta), mouth sores, change in taste, hair loss including eyebrows and eyelashes (and well, everywhere else, really lol), and change in taste/smell.

Without your support, this would have been unbearable. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all.

On November 19, 2021, Andy got to ring the bell, signaling the end of his chemo treatments. On December 11, he graduated with his MBA.

Andy’s scan in January 2022 revealed all of his affected lymph nodes were significantly smaller and he would need one more confirmatory scan in March. On March 2 he learned he had no new lymph nodes and no significant findings from his CT. Even several of his previously affected lymph nodes were smaller.

We are so grateful to have been introduced to Andy and to be able to share his journey with you. Please join us in celebrating his unrelenting positivity and fight against cancer at this year’s tournament, June 10-12.