KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — East Tennessee dog breeders are helping to bring some joy to a young girl battling a rare form of bone cancer.
Andi Lay, a 9-year-old girl from Knoxville, has been enduring tough chemotherapy and radiation treatments. This week she received a gift that's sure to lift her spirit.
"I like this one a lot," said Andi.
Andi had just met her new puppy, Lulu. Andi and her mother, Samantha Lay, traveled from Knoxville to pick out her new pup from a dog breeder in the Chattanooga area.
"They're all so cute," said Andi.
"Now you have a new best friend and any time you have to go through that, she will be right with you," said one of the workers at the dog breeder.
Last year, Andi was like any other girl her age, spending time with her friends at Brickey McCloud Elementary where she was even on the cheerleading team. But just 7 months ago, that all changed.
"She was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma on April 8, and since then we've been doing chemo. She is in-patient every two weeks for 5 days or 2 days," said Samantha.
Samantha said that even though Andi was taken out of school and has been undergoing months of treatments, she hasn't lost her spark.
"Andi is a rockstar, since she has been diagnosed she has had a smile on her face every single day," said Samantha.
Andi and her mother started a TikTok page tracking her journey for their 10,000 followers. The social media platform is how they discovered the dog breeder. Andi came across their TikTok and fell in love.
"They had puppies available and they heard our story and they've just been a blessing," said Samantha.
The breeders decided to donate Lulu the Cavapoo to Andi.
The 9-year-old has almost reached the finish line with two more cycles of treatments to complete, plus a PET scan to confirm she is cancer-free.
"This is just her gift for being cancer-free, this is what she's wanted," said Samantha.
Soon Andi will be going back to school and said she is excited to see her friends again and show off Lulu, who is more than a companion but a reminder to the Lay family of Andi's courageous journey.
"Thank you guys," said Andi.
"You're welcome sweetheart," said one of the dog breeders.
Samantha and Andi are on TikTok, and people can also follow them on Facebook.
