France was fighting hard, and Team USA needed a hero. That’s when Steph Curry did what Steph Curry does best: rise. 

He sank four three-pointers in the last three minutes—including the now-famous “Golden Dagger”—securing a 98–87 win and Team USA’s fifth straight Olympic title.

It was a dazzling display of grit, progress, and determination in the face of pressure.

And it just so happens to mirror another story of a true Warrior—one unfolding far from the Olympic stage.

Andre is 11 years old and lives with his mom and younger brother, Jace. He’s spunky, sassy, opinionated, and has a fierce love for the Golden State Warriors. Ask him who his hero is, and you’ll hear one name every time: Steph Curry. In fact, he met his basketball idol back in 2019 through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a memory he still lights up talking about.

But unlike most kids his age, Andre’s journey has been shaped by circumstances most families never see coming.

When Andre was just three years old, he came down with what looked like a typical cold or stomach bug. Nothing out of the ordinary. His mom tucked him into bed that night without realizing how drastically their world was about to change.

When she checked on him later that night, she found him unresponsive. It was every parent’s worst nightmare.

An ambulance rushed Andre to the hospital. After an MRI and CAT scan, doctors diagnosed him with acute necrotizing encephalitis, a rare and severe brain condition triggered by the flu. It’s so uncommon that many medical professionals have never seen a single case. The prognosis was devastating: a 30% chance of survival. If he did live, they said, he’d never function independently again.

“They told me to pull the plug,” his mother recalls. “To put him on hospice.”

But she refused.

Andre was weaned off the ventilator and slowly, against all odds, began showing signs of life. First, he came out of the coma. Then he began responding to familiar voices. Eventually, he was transferred to a rehab facility where his long recovery journey began.

The same doctors who had all but given up on him now watched in awe as Andre fought to regain even the smallest sliver of ability. And for a while, everything was uncertain—progress came slowly and inconsistently—but he kept going.

“Everything he does now is a form of recovery,” his mom says. “Even if it’s not how it used to be. It’s all progress.”

Today, Andre uses a wheelchair to get around and a G-tube to eat. He communicates through an AAC device called TouchChat and needs full-time assistance for most daily activities. But in spite of all that, he is thriving.

He’s made significant strides in physical therapy, like holding his head up more independently, sitting upright with growing confidence, and even helping his mom when she dresses him. Movements that once seemed impossible are now part of his routine.

Andre attends therapy four days a week at SciFit, a program his mom discovered by chance while scrolling through Instagram. The results have been nothing short of life-changing. Early on, the sessions were limited due to insurance constraints, but when his mom saw progress, she committed to more, even if it meant paying out of pocket.

“He’s definitely more confident,” she says. “Before, if you tried to sit him up, he’d arch his back and panic. Now, he knows what he’s capable of. He trusts himself more.”

That confidence doesn’t just make therapy easier; it gives his mom hope. At nearly 100 pounds, Andre is getting harder to lift and transport. The dream is that one day, he’ll be able to assist with standing or transferring on his own. Even that kind of progress would transform their daily life.

For now, she’s juggling a full plate: caregiving, therapy appointments, managing insurance battles, and raising Jace, Andre’s three-year-old brother. She's the sole parent, and like so many caregivers, often feels stretched thin. But she remains fiercely devoted to both of her sons and to advocating for every bit of care, support, and opportunity Andre deserves.

“You don’t know about any of this until you live it,” she says. “Then suddenly you’re learning to fight for resources you didn’t even know existed.”

That’s why support from organizations like Chive Charities can make such a lasting impact. This year, we awarded Andre a $5,000 grant to help cover the cost of ongoing neurotherapy sessions at SciFit. That extra support gave his family breathing room and opened the door to even more progress.

“It may not seem like a lot to some people,” his mom says, “but it helped us save up enough for a deposit on a bigger home. Jace has his own room now. It made a huge difference for us.”

From hospital beds to Steph Curry highlights, from setbacks to new beginnings, Andre’s story is marked by resilience and heart. He’s a Warrior—in name and spirit.

Life can change in an instant, and Andre is living proof. At first, it was in a way no one would have ever wanted for him. But now, there’s hope in every new day, every opportunity to move forward. It’s all fueled by progress, determination, and strength.

For Steph Curry and Team USA, everything changed in a matter of minutes. Their comeback was built on those same qualities: progress, determination, and strength. Now, Andre is drawing on that Warrior spirit as he enters this next phase of his journey.

With the continued support of Chive Charities and our family of donors, his momentum is just beginning.

Because Warriors don’t just survive—they rise. 

Want to be part of a winning team? You don’t even have to be a Warriors fan—just someone who believes in making the world 10% happier. Take the shot and DONATE HERE. (Swish!)