Drew Strong

10/21/2021

https://scorebooklive.com/ohio/2021/10/15/cancer-survivor-i-feel-fortunate-every-time-i-run-out-onto-the-field-after-everything-ive-been-through/

Senior Dublin Coffman tight end has inspired his teammates and coaches by overcoming cancer and never giving up.

10/21/2021

Thank you to all our friends and family near and far who continue to pray and root us on, especially our warrior.

“Drew Vick has overcome so much just to get back on the football field. He is "just playing football" yet inspiring an entire community, the city of Dublin is Drew Strong. ( ) https://t.co/nS0L0Hqe0f”

04/21/2021

Battle for a Cure coming May 1st! 🥎💚🥎💚

02/08/2021

The weekend after Drew was diagnosed, the Rocks were playing Olentangy Liberty in the regional semifinals at Coffman.

The Patriots team and administration saw the signs and asked about Drew and how they could help.

Liberty clubs stepped up and joined together to donate funds to show their support for Drew’s fight! This week, after working with Liberty principal Mike Starner (who oversaw this effort himself!) they delivered an incredible gift — a professional-grade recumbent bike Drew can use to strengthen his legs and feet, which have been weakened by chemo.

THIS is what it’s all about. A class act! We are beyond grateful for their generosity and showing what it truly means to come together. Thank you Patriots!!

02/04/2021

Drew continues to kick cancer’s butt every single day. Despite allergic reactions and chemo side effects, his smile still shines bright. 💚 Even on the hardest days he never loses sight of the ultimate goal - his forever cure.

We’re home this week and will be back inpatient next week. Last night he was asked to be a special guest at the Coffman basketball game, where he and Aaron were was able to cheer on some great friends. It was a great night. ☘️ Thank you for your continued prayers!

12/23/2020

So yesterday’s labs showed Drew’s counts had jumped tremendously from last week. Great news, but the numbers were so good they wanted him back first thing this morning for chemo. So much for his week off!

We were in all day for chemo and started back up with the chemo shots and oral chemo from home. Not a fun way to spend Christmas, but every day done is a day closer to a cure.

Appreciate you continuing to send positive thoughts and prayers to him this week. Hoping the side effects are minimal. 🙏🏻

12/20/2020

Hello all! I wanted to share an update on Drew. The last couple weeks have been tough and his red and white blood cell counts have been low. He had another blood transfusion last Monday and his labs on Thursday showed his numbers won’t be high enough to “clear” him for chemo next week. He’s not disappointed to hear this! So we’ll take a break next week and be back at it on 12/28.

We’re settling in for a quiet Christmas week where his body can rest and he can hopefully gain some strength back. 🎄

One way Drew continues to defy the odds is the fact he hasn’t lost his hair! Nearly all kids on his treatment plan lose their hair and while his is thin in some places, it’s still keeping his head warm. 😁

Coffman had its virtual football banquet this week and Drew received his first varsity letter and was one of two players to receive the Rock Pride Award for outstanding effort and teamwork. Proud of his hard work and positive attitude on and off the field. 💚🏈

Your love, prayers, and support continue to help lift us up day in and day out. Wishing you all a joyous and blessed Christmas!

12/08/2020

Update on Drew: First I’ll say that I wish we always had great news to report but the reality is, it has been a rough eight days. As strong as Drew is, cancer is ugly and relentless. He’s had to deal with lots of sickness related to chemo and pain from the mouth sores. He slept through the Buckeyes game on Saturday but saw the first (great!) half of the Browns game on Sunday.

One reason for the fatigue is that Drew’s hemoglobin has been really low. He had his first blood transfusion last Monday and his numbers were low so he had another two units today. We also had a scary moment today when Drew went into anaphylactic shock a few minutes after he started receiving the chemo drug PEG-asparaginase. The team knows this drug can cause reactions so they got to him quickly and thanks to an Epi pen and fast dose of Benedryl he’s ok. But it was terrifying for him - and me - as well as the awesome nurses who are walking this journey with us.

We appreciate your continued prayers. This is a marathon not a sprint, and we are grateful for all those who lift Drew up. He’s an amazing kid and the toughest we know.

11/30/2020

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! We kept things very low key, but enjoyed every second of being together. The first week of Consolidation (the second phase of treatment) has brought some new hurdles, and some of the side effects (like terrible mouth sores) are tough to deal with. Drew continues to be a trooper, and together we just keep putting one foot in front of the other to get it done. We're giving chemo shots at home and he's taking a chemo pill in addition to IV chemo once a week. Lots of tools in play to kick cancer's butt!
Drew's Coffman baseball teammates came by last week with a big card they all signed and gift cards from teammates families and coaches. Drew loved seeing some of the guys and it was just a great show of support. Just like his football family, his baseball team is making sure he knows he's still a part of the team, even if it's just in spirit for now.
We were also surprised last weekend by a flash mob in front of our house! Football teammates and friends came together for an awesome performance that made our whole weekend.
Thanks for your continued thoughts, prayers, and goodies. We are so thankful for all of you, and that you are in this fight with us.

11/18/2020

A BIG WIN TODAY! After a long day that involved a stop in the oncology clinic for morphine because of crippling knee pain, and a long wait for the PET scan, the news was GOOD. No evidence of disease! The mass is gone! The plan remains the same, we'll start the next phase of treatment on Monday, but today we celebrate. 💚 Go Drew! THANK YOU, DREW STRONG WARRIORS, FOR ALL YOUR POSITIVE THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS! You lift us up every day.

11/16/2020

Big week for Drew! At Children's today for labs, exam and another COVID test, tomorrow for lumbar puncture and spinal chemo, and then he has his first PET scan on Wednesday. Last day of steroids for a while. YAY!!! Prayers for strength and patience this week. This kid is our hero.

11/13/2020

One month ago right now Drew and I were sitting in the ER waiting for an ultrasound to check his appendix. In some ways it seems like yesterday - and the memories of that night and the next few terrifying days will never leave me. In other ways it feels like we’re forging our way into a new normal. Bumps along the way for sure. Still lots of unknowns. But we’re here. We’re together. And we have a lot to be grateful for. And, as the sweatshirt my brother and his family sent Drew this week, we have a message for cancer — SUCK IT!