Our Vision
Our vision is to create a community where every child and youth lives fully in the wake of brain and spinal cord injuries. To that end, Andee’s Army is proud to manage our Patient Assistance Grant Program, offering tailored to the unique individual recovery of each patient applicant.
Past grants have covered occupational, physical and speech therapies, durable equipment, assistive technology, home health aid, basic home modifications as well as other specialized therapy and care.
In Andee’s Words
Our beginning is one brave little girl.
Active. That’s how I would describe my teenage self. Between softball and swimming, I was always busy with practices, games and meets. Unfortunately, everything changed for me one day when I was at swim practice. I couldn’t pinpoint why I didn’t feel exactly right at first, and then the headache and fatigue set in. I knew I needed to get out of the water, so I climbed out of the pool and called my mom to come get me.
I walked outside, in wet swimwear, in the cold January air, but I didn’t notice the temperature. I progressively got worse on the way home, and the 20-minute car ride ended up taking over an hour as I kept telling my mom to slow down and stop as the waves hit me. I eventually lost consciousness. I don’t remember anything after that: the ambulance ride, the tests or the diagnosis.
What I have can have no symptoms but lives inside of you until it bursts. The condition is called an arteriovenous malformation, which is an abnormal connection between arteries and veins that ruptured in my brain, over a decade sooner than it typically occurs. I immediately needed brain surgery to remove it, leaving me in a coma for two weeks. The prognosis wasn’t good for me as I wasn’t expected to be able to walk or speak ever again.
There is a two-year lapse in my recovery that I have very few memories of. I was given another challenge as I returned to school two years later and had to become friends with the little siblings of my former classmates. However, I was just glad to be back in school and thankful to have my parents, and especially my little brother, support me through all of this.
My family was forced into a trauma — one that couldn’t have been predicted — emotionally and monetarily. I was lucky to have a community behind me that wanted to help and support my family, despite their initial protests to accept the support. My parents agreed that they wanted to find an outlet that would allow the support our family was given to expand and give back to others who are dealing with the same type of trauma. This is how Andee’s Army was formed.
Andee’s Army is an organization started to help families like mine who have had a child experience a brain or spinal cord injury. Andee’s Army has a Patient Assistance Grant Program that is tailored to the unique recovery of each patient and includes occupational, physical, and speech therapies, durable equipment, assistive technology, home health aid, basic home modifications as well as other specialized therapy and care.
Our Partners
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta doctors, nurses, and staff are specially trained to care for children under the age of 21. From colorful, friendly waiting rooms to equipment that fits patients of all sizes, every detail is designed specifically for kids.
Shepherd Center, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research, and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and other neuromuscular conditions.
Our Staff
Andee’s Army staff members bring a variety of experience and a wide range of backgrounds to the organization. Together, we work to build better futures for children who have sustained brain and spinal cord injuries.
Nina Cheney
Executive Director
Ali Smith
Program & Public Affairs Manager
Our Board
So much of Andee’s Army’s growth is thanks to our distinguished board. The dedication at the board level is unsurpassed, as evidenced by their personal and financial commitment.
Shaler Alias, CPP
Ron Canakaris
Elaine Carlos
John Carlos
Kari Carlos
Read Davis
Dr. Anna Elmers, MD
William J. Holley II
Michelle Jordan
Peggy Orson
Roy Rangel
Dr. Andrew Reisner, MD
Jack Sawyer Jr.
Dr. William J. Torres, MD
Dr. Barbara Weissman, MD
Furman Wood
