Rewarding bravery: How Thrivent membership helps honor son's legacy

Andrew Dorsing was unexpectedly diagnosed with a heart defect the day after he was born in 2012. He was just two days old when he had his first heart catheterization.

His parents, Jeromy and Beth Dorsing of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, soon reached out to Brett Koopman, their Thrivent financial consultant and friend, to discuss life insurance for Andrew. They had policies for themselves and their two older sons, Nathen and Jesse.

“We knew with his heart defect, it likely wasn’t a possibility, but we asked about it,” Beth says.

They weren’t surprised when Andrew was denied, but it gave Koopman the opportunity to tell them about Thrivent’s uninsurable child life insurance, a benefit of membership to eligible clients. It’s a $10,000 policy for children who have been declined for life insurance, with the potential of growth as the child ages. Andrew met eligibility requirements and was approved.

Andrew’s heart journey continued, with a heart valve replacement at age 2. By age 6½, he had three additional catheterizations and two more surgeries. Like his diagnosis, Andrew’s death in July of 2019 following a heart attack was unexpected.

“Kids with his condition typically grow up and live normal lives,” Beth says.

During his short life, Andrew struggled with medical procedures. “You can’t logic with kids,” Beth says. “He had a bad experience where a doctor ripped off a Band-Aid too fast, and after that, it would take an hour for a nurse to remove bandages.”

While Andrew recovered from a surgery, his dad and brothers went shopping, filling a bag with small toys. Andrew then could select a toy when bandages would need to be removed, or an IV flushed.

This was the start of Andrew’s Bravery Box. After his death, with the help of life insurance, the Dorsings started a nonprofit (andrewsbraverybox.org) to help children find courage the same way Andrew did. They work with local hospitals to keep 14 Bravery Boxes stocked with toys for young patients. To support Andrew’s Bravery Box, the Dorsings lead Thrivent Action Teams to amplify their fundraising events, including advertising and food for volunteers.

You can find out more about the uninsurable child benefit by contacting your Thrivent financial advisor.