Andrew's Bravery Box

Andrew was born in December 2012 with a congenital heart defect called Aortic Stenosis.  He required immediate intervention and when he was just two days old, underwent his first heart catheterization procedure at the Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.  Over the next 6.5 years, he would require a total of 5 heart catheterizations and 3 open heart surgeries.  On July 9th, 2019, Andrew passed away as a result of complications from his heart defect coupled with a new defect that took us all by surprise.  

Wanting to find some good amidst the tragedy of losing their son, Beth and Jeromy started Andrew's Bravery Box to help families going through similar situations.  After watching Andrew struggle with his hospital stays, developing fears around the day to day parts of his hospitalization such as IV flushes, bandage removals, and allowing staff to do basic cares, they discovered that by simply offering a reward of a toy, Andrew's attitude and outlook on these procedures changed literally over night.  

The toys we provide are specifically used to motivate and encourage kids facing tough procedures.  Not every child needs the bravery box, but those that do benefit greatly from that moment of joy when they get to pick a toy after their procedure.  We have heard so many stories from families and staff about how having the bravery box available has helped to turn around an otherwise stressful situation.

We currently have 25 bravery boxes throughout 9 locations and 3 hospital systems including Children's MN, University of MN M Health, and Park Nicollet.  We deliver about 500 toys every month to our partners to keep the bravery boxes filled up with toys for the thousands of kids we serve every year.  Your donations go directly toward purchasing toys to replenish that supply to toys.  

For more information on who we are and what we do, visit www.AndrewsBraveryBox.org