Andrea (Andie) Lehnen

Remembered Hero
 

Andie was in the prime of her life when she was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) in Nov. 2016 at 37 years old.  She had a wonderful husband, a beautiful 2 year old boy and loved her job as an artist with Digital Extremes. She had so many hobbies that she enjoyed - gardening, spinning wool, weaving, knitting, glass bead making, and painting.

Andie had been feeling very tired in the summer of 2016 and had been diagnosed with strep throat and ear infections a few times. But the AML diagnosis was a complete shock, as any cancer diagnosis is.

The initial induction chemo treatment did achieve remission for her, but was so hard on her heart that she ended up in the CCU with heart failure. She did gain strength back and became a candidate for a stem cell transplant in May 2017. This meant spending over 2 months in Toronto at Princess Margaret which was so hard on her family. The reunion with her little boy in July was beyond amazing!!

Andie would be the first person to say she owed her life to a perfect stranger who was willing to donate stem cells and many others who donated blood. But she had to endure so many complications after her transplant - low white cell counts for so long, she was convinced the transplant had been unsuccessful; simple colds that ended up with her back in the hospital; sepsis; etc. The nurses at Victoria Hospital on C7 became like family to her and she loved them all.

One of the most touching events she took part in with her family and coworkers was walking in Light the Night in the fall of 2017. Digital Extremes organized a company team to support her and although she was unable to complete the entire walk, it was a truly wonderful evening.

Over the next 3 years, Andie struggled with many bad days, but it seemed like the good ones were starting to outnumber those bad ones. She was instilling her love of skiing, skating, bike riding, roller blading, and painting in her son. They were having so much fun together! And so it was extremely painful for all who knew her when she suddenly passed away on Aug 5, 2020 at 41. But her memory will live on forever through all the warm and wonderful memories she created and her fascinating artwork.