Many of us admire Andrea’s quiet strength. Her strength that is on full display now, as she waits with humor and optimism, in a Detroit hospital for a heart transplant since Thanksgiving! A transplant is her only option, and she faces that reality with clarity, resolve and positivity, at least on the outside. Because of a balloon pump supporting her heart, she’s bedbound and did you know that waiting for a transplant means you have to stay cool, literally at 30° or less! She knows the right heart is coming!! You think you know someone . . . I am sure she told the story so many times that the full version and extent never reached me. Andrea’s been living with heart disease since 2015 and has relied on a pacemaker-defibrillator since 2017. I have know her post-bariatric surgery, losing her mom, her husband and that j-o-b thing she did everyday for a really long time. Her father had the same condition and never received a transplant. She’s doing what he couldn’t, and she’s doing it for herself, Cali and Stassi too. There’s nothing dramatic about the way she carries this — just strength, purpose, and an unshakable will to state, “my new heart is coming soon!” When Andrea goes home after surgery, she will need Cali & Marcus to be available 24:7. Meal prep and making sure she gets the right nutrition will be of the utmost importance. Instacart and/or Doordash cards will make that easier :) Beyond that, we have no idea what the medical bills will look like..but that is for another day.