Andrew: A Courageous Path to Healing
Rebuilding hope after a childhood stroke
Growing up in Clovis, Calif., Andrew Santos was a happy child. A fun-loving jokester, a devoted Golden State Warriors fan, and a straight-A student, he had a quick wit and a knack for making everyone laugh. “He was always such an amazing kid,” says his mom, Christina. “So much fun all the time.”
By senior year, Andrew was ready to start the next chapter of his life: Clovis Community College. He spent the summer dreaming of the future and exploring the classes he might take. But early on the morning of enrollment day, Andrew suffered a massive brain hemorrhage.
A Life-Altering Diagnosis
At 4:30 a.m., Andrew woke up vomiting and clutching the back of his head. Minutes later, he lost consciousness. His parents called 911 and Andrew was taken to two local hospitals by ambulance. A CT scan revealed a massive brain bleed caused by a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM) — a tangle of abnormal blood vessels formed in utero that can rupture without warning years later. For many patients, AVMs are fatal.
Andrew was airlifted to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. “It was raining,” Christina recalls. “I begged to go with him in the helicopter. The pilot finally said yes. As we flew, he pointed to a rainbow and said, ‘Look, mom. He’s going to be OK. Just hold onto that.’”
Andrew's condition was critical. The hemorrhage had caused a major stroke and the pressure in his brain was dangerously high. Within 48 hours, neurosurgeons removed half of his skull to relieve the swelling and prevent further damage. A few weeks later, on Warriors star Steph Curry’s birthday — which the family took as the best possible sign — a team of UCSF neurosurgeons successfully removed the AVM in a six-hour surgery.
Andrew was out of the woods but faced a long road ahead. He couldn’t speak and was completely paralyzed on his right side. In his first rehab sessions, the goal was just to sit up in bed. But every day, he made progress, and he never said no to a challenge.
Unparalleled World-Class Care
Pediatric stroke is so rare that when Heather Fullerton, MD, UCSF’s chief of child neurology, began her training, it wasn’t even part of the curriculum. AVMs like Andrew’s occur in less than 1% of the population. “I had to adapt adult stroke protocols to fit the needs of children,” she explains. “There was no road map. We were building as we went.”
That challenge became a calling. In 2007, Fullerton founded the Pediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease Center, turning UCSF into a national leader in diagnosing, treating, and researching these complex cases. Today, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals are recognized as a Center of Excellence in pediatric stroke, seeing more patients than almost any other hospital and serving as the referral site for the most complex cases. The center’s research has shaped national guidelines and continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Christine Fox, MD, Andrew’s neurologist and the center’s director, has been caring for Andrew for the past eight years. She has seen him through every stage of recovery — from intensive care through outpatient visits — and says his story reflects the best of what UCSF has to offer: “We don’t just treat the stroke. We treat the whole child, and we walk alongside the family every step of the way.”
Lighting the Way
Andrew’s rehabilitation journey was extraordinary. After surviving a massive stroke and undergoing brain surgery, he faced months of intensive therapy, including hours of daily physical, occupational, and speech therapy. He had to relearn how to walk, talk, and feed himself. Even after discharge, Andrew persisted with therapy, pushing his recovery further each day.
“In all those years, he never said ‘Mom, I can't do this anymore.’ Not once,” Christina says.
Today, Andrew is 25 and thriving. He has regained his independence and found a new sense of purpose: participating in UCSF research studies and volunteering at the rehab center where he was once a patient. Every year on his birthday and during the holidays, in lieu of gifts for himself, he asks for the games that were instrumental to his own healing — Connect 4, Uno, Jenga, Guess Who — which he donates to UCSF so other kids can experience the same joy, motivation, and success that he did.
“Most patients want to move on and leave the hospital behind,” says Marc Kristensen, PT, Andrew’s physical therapist. “But Andrew chose to stay connected, to give back.”
Andrew also participates in community events to raise awareness for brain aneurysms, AVM, and stroke. He serves as a youth ambassador for The Aneurysm and AVM Foundation (TAAF), using his story to educate and inspire.
Andrew was recently honored at the Dreamfest Concert for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals with the 2025 Colin Powell Medal of Courage for bravely turning his medical journey into a mission of hope and healing.
“Andrew chose purpose over pain,” Christina says. “He didn’t just survive, he transformed. And now, he’s lighting the way for others.”
While Andrew continues to work on his recovery and lives with the lifelong changes brought on by the stroke, he chooses to remain positive. “Love is strong,” Andrew says. “I’m grateful for every day, and I want to show that nothing is impossible.”