LEROY | Andy Heck dreams of playing sports just like many other kids his age, but having only 10 percent of his lung capacity has stopped the 16-year-old from living his dreams.

When Andy was 5 years old he was diagnosed with leukemia, said his mother, Cheryl Campbell. He received a stem cell transplant to treat the disease and has been in remission since.

Andy then developed graft versus host disease, where the body rejects the transplant. He now suffers from bronchiolitis obliterans, which affects the lungs.

Andy recently was activated on a lung transplant list. He will travel with his family Sunday to the St. Louis Children's Hospital, where they will wait for a lung to become available.

Campbell said it still isn't certain when her son will receive a transplant once they arrive in St. Louis. She said she has heard of people who received an organ the day after they arrived and of those who waited more than a year.

"We hope it's not that long," Campbell said.

Once he receives the transplant, Andy hopes he will be able to play sports.

"Probably not football, but I'll try baseball, if I can," he said.

Andy, a freshman at Crown Point High School, is being home-schooled because his condition has stopped him from being able to attend regular classes.

Campbell said Andy would use all his energy going from class to class, and then would sleep as soon as he would get home.

Through the whole situation, Andy hasn't complained once, she said.

"Andy's a pretty special kid," Campbell said. "He's been through a lot."

Andy tries to enjoy everything he can, including watching Chicago Bears games and driving his truck.

His favorite Bears player is Rex Grossman, even though Grossman was recently demoted from his starting position.

"He's small like me," Andy said.

Besides his love for sports and driving, Andy enjoys making people laugh. He jokes about most things, including getting his lung transplant.

"As long as it doesn't happen during the Bears game," he said.