Andrew Nichols, Age 8
Newark, OH

Home and Family

Andrew lives at home with his younger brother Ethan, and parents Jodi and Mitch. He loves his animals and especially his soon to be service dog, Hero!

Diagnosis

David was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 3 years old. DMD is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. DMD is caused by an absence of dystrophin, a protein that helps keep muscle cells intact. Symptom onset is in early childhood, usually between ages 3 and 5. The disease primarily affects boys, but in rare cases it can affect girls.

School

Andrew is currently in the second grade.

Interests

Andrew’s biggest interest is movies! He enjoys watching them, especially with popcorn and his family, at home or in the theater! He can even be found alphabetizing his DVD’s at times! He also loves art. Anything that includes art supplies, coloring, painting, clay, you name it, he loves it! He is very creative. He enjoys dressing up as well. You will often find him in a tie or sweater vest.

MDA Activities

Andrew’s favorite MDA activity by far is Summer Camp. He has gone for 3 years in a row and is counting down the days for this year. Andrew and his family have also participated in the MDA Muscle Walk for 2 years. The Nichols family have joined the Newark Firemen in a parade and helped with Fill the Boot. Last year, the entire elementary K-5 participated in Shamrocks for MDA. Students sold shamrocks for 2 weeks and “painted” the hallways green and gold! The school raised over $2,000! Andrew was so proud and even participated in the kickoff assembly. He also visits local Kroger and Lowe’s to personally thank them for supporting MDA.