A post by Aly: Andrea’s story

I wanted to share Andrea’s story with you, and trust me, everyone needs to know the light named Andrea.  Here’s why…

As a rock star, it is the standard interview question.  “What was the inspiration for this song?”  In our case, it translates to, “Who is the inspiration in your life?”   For every single a rock star drops, there stands a chance for it to flop or flourish.  In order to increase the chances of success, the people that shape each song in our life had better be some amazing people.  In my life, they are.

I use the words “people” and “they” on purpose.  That is because there are so many people that shape every song in my life.  In almost every phase, or song, my rock star twin sister, Andrea, has been one of those people.  Andrea is a rock star to a lot of people.  She likely has more people in her fan club than anyone I know.  They have been lining up to meet her since she was born.

Andrea’s own life started with real adversity.  As I shared with you earlier, by the time she was only a day old, she had already had her last rights read to her by the priest.  It just was not realistic to expect a two-pound preemie to live.  I’d never recommend arguing with a priest, but it turned out to be a good idea in that moment. 

But at 24 hours old, Andrea’s obstacles had only just begun to mount.  A nurse came in to give us a bath. During that bath, Andrea turned blue because her lungs were still incapable of functioning correctly outside the incubator.  Since she could not breath, her tiny body was placed back into the incubator and the nurse turned her oxygen on the highest setting.  With no one noticing her chart or oxygen settings that were much too high, 18 days later, Andrea was totally blind in her right eye and was left with only extremely limited vision in her left eye.  

It is called Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).  There is no cure for ROP, as the retina and often the optic nerve are permanently scarred.  Even after multiple surgeries, painful childhood eye drops, and countless doctor visits, Andrea’s eyes remain blind today.

She goes about her daily life with giant print on her computer screens.  Her nose literally must touch the paper when she reads in order to make the words out. She cannot control her floating eye. She cannot drive.

Andrea lost her sight as a baby, but she never lost her vision.  This is why she is one of my biggest inspirations.  Her vision to be a rock star has been more than realized. 

Despite her lack of eyesight, Andrea overcame unbelievable obstacles even as a young child. 

At seven years old, rock star Andrea decided she would participate with me in what should be known as the last sport a blind kid should ever attempt.  Competitive baton twirling.  That’s right, a sport with a spinning metal projectile flying directly in the path of your teeth, and the blind kid said, “Why not?” 

This was not the kind of baton twirling that most people think of when they imagine a figure eight or two in the parade.  This was the kind of twirling where the baton goes flying; we turn around six times, and then catch it while upside down behind our head.  It was dangerous and tedious learning for any sighted child, but almost stupidly difficult for a legally blind child. 

From seven years old, until we were about ten years old, Andrea and I practiced baton twirling almost four hours a day, seven days a week, with the exception being only when we traveled across country to compete. 

I must admit, we were good.  The rock star in me would say we were fantastic, in fact.  By the end of our twirling career, we had accumulated over 600 trophies, more than 1,500 medals, and a couple of World Championships. But I could see the baton!  She couldn’t!  I could have never done it with my eyes closed.  But she knew she had the gift of timing and truly believed she could do it when everyone else thought it was impossible. 

And that was just the beginning for Andrea.  A couple of years later, and based on a child proclaiming, “You can’t be a cheerleader! You are blind!”  Andrea decided to try out for the Junior High Cheerleading team.  A week prior to tryouts, adversity grew when she broke her arm.  So “blindy,” as she was called, was now in a cast and could not see the people in the front row of tryouts.  But she tried out anyway.  She did not get the sympathy vote, though.  Andrea was actually really good.  When everyone else cart wheeled their way across the gym that day, she did those same cartwheels with no hands!  The crown erupted at her ability to erase such an obvious handicap- her cast.  Her real handicap was virtually unnoticeable because that day, she showed all who did not believe in her because of her lack of sight, that she had the best foresight of them all.

Andrea and I continued to cheer together in Junior High, High School, and in college at the University of Texas.  She was an All-American, performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, was a highly regarded instructor, and now impacts the lives of thousands of girls and guys in the United Kingdom through her gift of cheerleading and coaching with her company, Future Cheer.  She still offices in Texas, but travels often to instruct and host competitions for thousands of athletes each year.  She has single-handedly changed (created, really) cheerleading in the U.K., and now sits on the board for the International Advisory Committee in order to be a positive influence to athletes worldwide.  Yeah, how about that for a “blindy?”

Clearly, Andrea’s athleticism and fearless perseverance against all odds has inspired me throughout my life.  It is easy to see why she is the inspiration to so many of the songs in my life.  I cannot say I have ever met anyone that did not adore her.  She is absolutely that amazing. 

By the time we had reached 27 years old, I thought there was nothing that Andrea had left to conquer.  Despite her handicap, she had already been a world champion baton twirler, skied black slopes on her first day of skis, was an extremely accomplished cheerleader, graduate student of the year with a 4.0 GPA, and now her greatest vision to date had come true.  She became a mom. 

Two weeks after her perfect angel was born, Andrea went in for a routine lithotripsy of a kidney stone that had developed during the pregnancy.  By the grace of God, doctors found a tumor in the other kidney.  Asymptomatic, and by all means healthy and young, Doctors assumed the tumor in her kidney was benign.  The goal was simply to remove the tumor and salvage the kidney, even though we can all live with just one.  The struggle, of course, was that this was no minor surgery, and there was a perfect little girl at home that wanted her mommy. 

Surgery went well, and doctors came in the waiting room to report that they had successfully removed Andrea’s lemon-sized tumor and were able to retain her kidney.  They sent the tumor to pathology just as a formality, but all were pleased she would be in recovery soon. 

Then, the “formality” report came back.  Renal cell carcinoma.  Andrea had cancer. And a two-week-old baby. Doctors went back into surgery and removed the kidney and further explored to ensure the cancer had not spread, visually at least. 

Here’s where she becomes even more of a rock star.  With her body literally cut in half and staples all across her abdomen, tubes up her nose, and with the most unexpected and worst case scenario being spelled out to her, she simply replied, “Oh my God, those doctors saved my life.”   

We later found out that Andrea’s renal cell carcinoma was an aggressive one.  Had she waited until she had any symptom of it, two months would have gone by.  Those two months would have likely made it terminal. 

            —–

Almost a decade later, Andrea is cancer free and had another amazing child since then, making her a very cool rock star mom of two.  She has a giant scar across her abdomen in the arc shape of a rainbow.  Her students often ask about it when she is in workout attire because it is so visible.  One student proclaimed that it looked like a giant sad faceL.  Without hesitation she replied, “Not to me.  From my point of view, I look down and it is the shape of a happy face.” 

I told you she was a rock star.  By far, she is one of my favorites.

         We can’t wait to hear your stories and put you in the spotlight at http://www.AlyandAndrea.com.  Register and submit your story today.  Rock on.