CONESVILLE, Ohio — Last week, News 5 reported on a little boy with two types of stage-4 cancer who wished for 2,000 birthday and Christmas cards. His family told us that cards in the mail lift his spirits. Calls and emails poured into our newsroom, asking us to follow through to see if he got those cards. We're happy to report he did. And then some.
What started as a plan to boost Andrew Miller's spirits grew bigger than his parents could have dreamt. “I never thought that this would go to this extreme,” said Linda Miller, Andrew’s mom.
Andrew was diagnosed with two types of stage-4 cancer last year. Following surgery, treatment and many doctor appointments, Andrew’s lymphoma was in remission, but last summer, after his Make-A-Wish trip, his high-grade glioma spread. He started losing hope and the energy to fight.
“He was kind of giving up from all the pain, just not seeming to gain like we wanted him to,” said Linda.
Since Andrew loved reading and getting mail, to raise his spirits, his parents decided to try to get him 1,000 birthday cards for his birthday on Dec. 12. A thousand arrived quickly. Then they tried for 2,000.
“He's always like, 'Where's the mail, where's the mail?'” said Roman Miller, Andrew’s dad.
They reached out to the Community Hospice Center for help achieving their goal.
“We do these kinds of things for our patients all the time. So, she called a local church and said, hey, can we recruit you guys to do some cards for Andrew? And they were on board right away, and they did it and posted it online,” said Norm Mast, the CEO of Community Hospice.
From there, it spread like wildfire. Donnie Chadwick with UPS caught wind of the goal after seeing News 5's story. He then started gathering cards, too.
“We probably got about 400 to 500 cards from drivers and employees that work on the inside,” said Chadwick, a UPS road supervisor.
Before they knew it, the Millers surpassed their benchmark by quite a lot.
“I never in my dreams thought we would get this many cards,” said Roman.
They got more than 13,000 cards and gifts from across the nation. On Tuesday, UPS picked up the packages and cards from the Community Hospice center and hand-delivered them to Andrew’s home, where he was overwhelmed and in shock at how much there was.
The boxes filled their kitchen, barely leaving standing room. More importantly, they brought Andrew holiday joy.
“It shows me how much people appreciate me,” said Andrew.
Though he's got a lot of unpacking to do, on this 9th birthday, he's reminded he's never alone in his fight, and just in case he forgets, he's got the cards to prove it.
The Community Hospice Center reminds everyone at home that there are so many kids like Andrew who just need that little bit of encouragement. A simple card or gift can make such a difference. So, this holiday season, make sure you pass on the love.
If you would like to send a card to Andrew or any of the children in hospice, the mailing information is below:
Buddy
Truman House Community Hospice
716 Commercial Ave. SW
New Philadelphia, OH 44663
