Introduction
Andrew Lennox Henderson:
April 19, 1980 – October 12, 2018
Andy was born to Len and JoAnne Henderson in Exeter, New Hampshire on April 19th, 1980. I was lucky to meet him 35 years later in Knoxville TN. He was an amazing friend for 3 short years before he passed away from Leukemia a few weeks ago. I’m going to share Andy’s story using the narrative of Pinball because Andy and Pinball are intertwined and inextricable. Don’t get me wrong. Pinball did not define Andy but it’s what made this story possible. You see, for Andy, Pinball was a means to an end. Pinball was a way to develop new friendships, new connections and the sense of comradery and belonging that Andy (and all of us) want. Andy was a son, he was a father, he was a brother and as you’ll see as you read this article – he was an amazing friend.
So who am I to write about Andy? I am a friend. If you were lucky enough to have Andy as a friend, then you know that’s saying a lot. I did not know him long but his friendship will have a lifelong impact on me. I’m also a Pinhead. For the uninitiated that means a Pinball geek.I love the game, I play every day. I collect Pinball machines.(www.thepinballloft.com)I was so impacted by Andy’s friendship, I felt compelled to ask his family and friends if it was OK with them if I wrote my version of Andy’s story. It’s not the entire picture by any means. It’s not even a tiny portion of Andy’s life but it’s my version. His family contributed enormously to this story and his closest friends were kind enough to do the same.
I decided to write about Andy in order to have a more permanent record of at least a portion of his life. I wanted to celebrate his selflessness and amazing friendship in the hope of promoting more of the same from others. My Dad has the same disease that took Andy’s life and at this very moment is struggling through it. Believe it or not, my next door neighbor had it as well and she had passed away just 6 weeks after diagnosis. I’d like to bring awareness to the MDS/Leukemia diseases and raise funds for the Hope Lodge in Nashville TN where Andy stayed.Finally, Andy has a very young daughter. I know I can count on her extended family to share their love and memories of her Dad but I’d like for her to know even more about him by providing a window into what his friends thought of him and how he impacted the broader world– because he did, and in a way that many don’t.
The story will cover several segments of Andy’s life. They’re not sequenced so you’ll find that I do jump back and forth from Andy’s past to the present and back again. Throughout the story, I have attempted to let you (the reader) know the time frame and context of each section.They are broken out roughly by Andy’s Illness, biography, Pinball obsession, friendship and impact.
The following list of folks allowed me to interview them for this story.I’ll give you a brief description of who they are here at the beginning and you’ll hear more from them later on.
Tom– This was Andy’s first real boss when he arrived in Knoxville.Tom loves people, like Andy did and has a great story that showcases Andy’s quirky sense of humor. Len introduced me to Tom
Blake – Is Andy’s best friend. Andy didn’t ever label his friends and Andy would never compare his friends but it was clear that Blake and Andy spent the most time together. Blake is a Pinhead as well with a focus on playing, not collecting. Other than family, Blake knew Andy the longest of all the folks in this story. Blake is articulate, gregarious and a great guy. It was Andy who introduced me to Blake.
Darin & Amy – Dr. Darin was already a friend of Andy’s before he and I even met. Darin is an amazing guy and was very close to Andy. Darin was quick to say he would be thrilled to share his “Andy stories”. Darin is both a Pinball collector and a great player. It was Andy who introduced me to Darin.
Chad & Ashley – Chad became friends with Andy after Andy and I met. Chad is an entrepreneur and business owner and more recently bitten by the Pinball bug. Andy engaged with him and helped Chad to quickly build a fantastic collection. Chad and Ashley will also share some “Andy stories” later in this article. It was Andy who introduced me to Chad and Ashley.
Chris & Courtney – Chris & Courtney own Token Tavern and it was he that took a leap of faith with Andy to establish Token as the place to play Pinball in Knoxville. Chris and Courtney provided Andy with the most precious thing any Pinhead could want. A place to help promote the Pinball scene and a place where you felt special, part of a team. Chris will tell us all about how they met and why it was so easy to trust Andy. It was Andy who introduced me to Chris and Courtney.
Len & JoAnne – These are Andy’s parents. Their story is one of faith, trust and perseverance. JoAnne will share her 8 months of being the sole caretaker for Andy and Len will tell us about his role of keeping their home functioning during JoAnne’s absence. Both will share the family versions of “Andy stories”. It was Andy who introduced me to Len and JoAnne.
IdaRose – Andy’s pride and joy. Above all else. His daughter. We will hear what Ida thinks about all this as only the perspective of the innocence of a child could convey. It was Andy who introduced me to little Ida.
This is Andy’s story …
“Man, I’m out of breath” – Andy gets sick
Andy said to his Mom JoAnne that he “didn’t feel right.” He followed “I think I’m getting a cold.” The next day, unlike him, he came home from work early because of it. JoAnne elaborated with specifics about the day. No surprise that Mom would know when her son was sick. “It was on Tuesday December 5th 2017 and he was transferring Ida’s car seat from one car another and he found himself badly winded He had to sit down and when he did he said out loud almost matter of fact “Man,I’m out of breath”. He did go to work in the morning but his team sent him home and advised that he go to a walk in clinic. He underwent the normal tests and also had several X-rays and blood tests.” Andy finished his testing and left for home unaware that in just a few hours he would get a phone call that would change his life, his family’s lives and all who knew him forever. The clinic called and said his hemoglobin was a 3. They shared that they had never seen anyone with a Hemoglobin level that low who could still walk. They counseled that he get to the UT emergency room ASAP. Andy heeded the warning and quickly checked into UT where the staff began further testing right away. 5 days later Andy was officially diagnosed with a relatively rare blood disease called MDS. He stayed hospitalized for the next 2 weeks.
I was at my ranch on a chilly, gray December day when Andy stopped by to play some Pinball. We stood under a big cedar tree just outside the pole barn as he told me that “he hadn’t been feeling too good”. Andy never complained – about anything. So when he said he felt bad, I quickly wondered how bad it was. He went on to explain that he had been feeling tired at work and was out of breath just doing simple things like carrying buckets of paint. He said he had gone to the ER and then the Hospital too. It was that serious. He told me that his hemoglobin was measured at “3”. I interrupted him. “Andy –that sounds like MDS?” He said, “Yea, that’s what they said I have.”
By now you know I’m not a Dr. and if you’ve read the intro you know how I knew the name of the disease that Andy was diagnosed with – I knew because my Dad has MDS. Andy shared a few more details about potential treatments and the chemo that he would undergo but as he was sharing all this I was really struggling to process it all. First my Dad and now Andy? How could this happen. Each of them was told the same story – this is a rare disease. Not so rare in my world. My Dad was fighting it hard, and now here was my best friend Andy just beginning the same battle. Little did I know that 2 months from now I would be standing in nearly the same spot on our ranch where Andy stood and I would be holding hands and praying with my sweet neighbor as she said her goodbyes. She died from MDS just a few weeks later. MDS was not rare in my world. Within a year, 3 people that I knew had been diagnosed with it. Rare?
“I don’t know who I am” – Andy admitted to UT Hospital
JoAnne shared with me their early routine “I would shuttle Andy to the UT lab on Mondays/Wednesdays and Fridays for his Dacogen based chemo treatment as an outpatient. While there, Andy would often receive blood and/or platelet transfusion as well. If his blood tests revealed the need for blood or platelets, it would add hours to the treatment.” Things took a dramatic turn for the worst when on April 1st Easter weekend he was admitted to UT Hospital in Knoxville with a diagnosis of Leukemia.
Andy would spend the entire month of April in that hospital. JoAnne said “I really tried to make him comfortable there”. “We brought in a Mini fridge, we stocked the room with the foods he wanted”. “He loved beef and chicken ramen noodles and gummi bears – so that’s what we got him”. It made his extremely challenging health situation a little easier to bear. What neither Len nor JoAnne could know at the time was that as poor as his health was, it was about to get worse. Andy was getting sicker. A scan was completed and showed extensive pneumonia. UT was quite capable of managing Andy’s pneumonia but his Leukemia was another matter. The recommended treatment was a bone marrow transplant. The most thoroughly equipped hospitals to handle a case like Andy’s were in Nashville. In the end Vanderbilt was chosen and a plan was made to move Andy the next day.
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