We save people's homes because people saved our home.

Andrew John Swenson was born July 27th 1995, and by his second birthday was diagnosed with Leukemia.  By his fourth birthday,  he was headed to Bone Marrow Transplant.

His mother, Zenaide, would move into his hospital room with him. His father, John, would soon be let go from his job for his irregular hours bringing their son, Jonathan, to visit his brother after school.

After 5 years of battling cancer, Andrew just wanted to go home. Unfortunately, with insurmountable hospital bills and unstable income, we were about to lose our home. That's when his uncle John Sousa, the founder of Andrew's Helpful Hands, gathered friends, family, neighbors, and strangers to help pitch in to pay our mortgage so Andrew could come home and our family could be together in our home.  Andrew later passed away the morning after his seventh birthday surrounded by family, friends and his 4 legged companion, Cinnamon in our home not in a hospital or unknown place.

While in the hospital Andrew would frequently give away nearly all of his Christmas presents to his less fortunate "neighbors" on his "street". Andrew's generosity to his neighbors, and our neighbors generosity to our family, was a debt that couldn't go unpaid. After a discussion that Andrew had with his uncle that we needed to help others is when Andrew's Helpful Hands was born.  Andrew was still alive when his organization was created and he has had his "hand" in everything we do. 

Our logo is Andrew's handprint.  This came about during transplant when he had GVHD (Graft vs. Host Disease). The GVHD had caused and extreme itch and burn over his whole body.    Making “handmade High 5” postcards was a distraction that kept him from itching and peeling his old and new  skin.  

How proud he was to attend his first distribution to a Hudson family.   Now, Andrew, his uncle and his trusted 4 legged companion are all together watching what we all do to keep the good going.