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Shriners Children’s New England Patient to Sing National Anthem

Shriners Children’s New England Patient to Sing National Anthem

Springfield, MA. (January 24, 2023) Shriners Children’s New England is excited to announce one of its patients, Andrew, 12, of Springfield, MA, will be singing the national anthem at the East-West Shrine Bowl. The nationally televised all-star college football game is happening at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on Feb. 1.

Andrew was diagnosed over a year ago at age 11 with dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica, otherwise known as Trevor’s disease, a rare congenital bone development disorder in which an extra bone grows into a joint. This rare condition is estimated to occur in 1 in 1 million children.

“I was having horrible pain in my left foot near my ankle whenever I was doing any sort of performing or activity,” said Andrew. “It was getting really difficult to stand for periods at a time. My family wanted answers so they decided to take me to Shriners Children’s New England where they diagnosed me with Trevor’s disease. The care they gave me was amazing. Within months, I was back on my feet, performing again without any pain in my foot.”

Keri Garry, CPNP, RN, Andrew’s nurse practitioner at Shriners Children’s, said because Trevor’s disease is so rare, it can be easily missed by medical providers and can cause extreme pain for the patient if left untreated.

“Andrew is the most happy, outgoing kid and it’s incredible to see all that he’s accomplished in his life so far,” said Garry. “He’s the perfect example of a kid who has an incredible gift for acting and singing and the pain he was having in his foot was making it difficult for him to accomplish his dreams. We’re thankful we were able to help him get back to doing what he loves to do.”

Andrew attends St. Michael’s Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts, and is a member of St. Michael’s Players, a community musical theater group in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The 12-year-old is passionate

about singing and dancing and has appeared in 2 Hollywood movies and 10 musical productions so far. As a die-hard Notre Dame fan, Andrew and his family are excited about the chance to meet a few up-and-coming players at this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity to go to Texas and be part of this event,” said Andrew. “I love football and it will be an honor to sing the national anthem at the game and meet other Shriners Children’s patients and college football players. This will be a great chance for me to share my story about how Shriners Children’s helped me get back to performing and singing.”

To watch the East-West Shrine Bowl, tune in on Feb 1 at 8 p.m. ET on the NFL Network or NFL Network App or fuboTV.

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