Homepage / Health

E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters

Family Raises Money For Rare Cancer In Their Mother's Memory

POSTED: 8:19 pm EDT April 8, 2008
UPDATED: 8:42 pm EDT April 8, 2008

Michael O'Connell of South Lyon, Mich., said his wife, Andi, was one in a million.

Andi had three passions: her family and friends, her home state of Indiana, and shopping.

"She would come home with a shopping bag, and I would say what did you get, and she would say guess how much I saved you," said O'Connell.

Andi was just 19 years old when she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called adenoid cystic carcinoma or ACC. The cancer begins in the secretory glands of the body, most commonly in the salivary glands of the head and neck.

Andi fought her cancer for 21 years, enduring seven surgeries, more than 100 rounds of radiation and more 200 chemotherapy treatments.

"She said that she fought cancer Monday through Friday, and she was very diligent about it, but she took the weekends off," said O'Connell. "She was able and willing to fight the cancer anyway that she had to."

In the summer of 2007, Andi lost her battle with cancer at the age of 40. She leaves behind three young children.

"Words can't describe it," said O'Connell of their loss. "She was our whole life. But right now, whenever we're feeling very sad about it and missing her, grieving her and feeling scared, an overwhelming sense of comfort comes over me that she's telling me to stop crying and get going."

In that spirit, the O'Connell family started a foundation to raise money for ACC research and to establish scholarships in Andi's memory.

"There are thousands of people out there like her that endure this and fight these cancers and diseases every day, and those people need to be celebrated," said O'Connell.

Andi's family will host the "Live Like Andi Walk/Run & Fashion Walk" on Saturday, April 12, at Catholic Central High School in Novi, Mich. They are also selling special cheetah print bracelets with their slogan "Live Like Andi."

For more information about the event or to donate, click here.

To learn more about ACC, click here. click here.

Links We Like
Stress really does kill but you can control it before it controls you. Get helpful advice on how to lower your stress levels here. More

Companies across the U.S. are looking for qualified consultants to help them improve and grow their business. Find out if you could be just the person they're looking for. More

Tune into the body language of others as well as yourself and get a better feel for how your date is really going. More

Finding quality child care can be difficult. Get your questions answered and do what’s best for your child. More

Like online video? Then you'll love Now See This.

Links We Like includes a selection of information, tools and resources from our partners and sponsors.

Sponsored Links

Power Search
 

Health Topics & Information

A traditional Asian diet could drastically reduce your risk of heart disease, obesity and cancer. Check out this healthy, tasty diet! More

Caregiving

How Alzheimer's is Treated
Caring.com
This guide to Alzheimer's treatment will help you understand the path forward following an Alzheimer's diagnosis. More Details