Thurs. Aug. 30th
Perhaps even more so than most days, I can’t stop thinking about Andrew today. And, I’m more than OK with that.
Years ago, Andrew and I were driving back from Ocean City, NJ and I mentioned that it had been ages since I went to a Philadelphia Eagles game. It was just one of many things we talked about on the 90 minute ride and I didn’t think much of it. That is, until a few weeks later.
Andrew decided during that ride that HE was going to take ME to an Eagles game. He came home and with a little bit of help from Chris, he went online, did some comparison shopping, and bought 4 tickets for all of us to catch the final Eagles pre-season game. (It was initially going to be just me and him, but he didn’t want to leave Chris and Ali out, so he bought 4 tickets.) Andrew literally wiped out his bank account to buy those tickets. I was absolutely bowled over when he broke the news to me that he was taking me to the game. Honestly, I couldn’t have cared less whether he was taking me to an NFL game or a CYM grade school game. What was important was that he wanted to do something for me and was willing to spend all the money he had to do it. Tonight is the Eagles last pre-season game and against the same team (NY Jets) that Andrew took me to. I was NEVER more excited to go to a game than the night that my son took me to that game. (Oh, and by the way, I just couldn’t let him spend all his money on me. The important thing is that he was willing to spend it all on us.)
For those of you who did not have the privilege of knowing my son in person, this was the kind of person he was. He had such a great heart. He was so kind and selfless. While I am, of course, biased, Andrew McDonough wasn’t perfect but he was a role model for all of us, young and old.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tonight, thanks to the support of Astra Zeneca and Barclays Bank, a new program will begin at University of Delaware football games — “B+ Score for a Cure”!
After each touchdown, there will be a video billboard on the Jumbotron and a PA message increasing awareness of childhood cancers. In addition to other elements, there will be a “Featured B+ Hero of the Game”. This B+ Hero will be featured in a video vignette on the Jumbotron during the first media timeout of the 2nd Quarter. Additionally, that child will be on the field to wave to the crowd to receive their applause. Everything we do with our B+ Heroes is to put them on the pedestal that they rightly deserve….and, hopefully, forget about cancer, chemo, needles, etc for a little while. I can’t wait to see the excitement on these kids’ faces. And, while the fans will be looking at our B+ Heroes, I’ll be looking at their parents. As any parent will tell you, the nicest thing you can do for me is to do something nice for my kids. Of course, I hope the 20,000+ fans that attend these games leave Delaware Stadium realizing that we have a national crisis at hand. Forty six kids were diagnosed with cancer today. Your family could be next!
I offered the honor of tonight’s Opening Game “Featured B+ Hero” slot to a family with ties to the University, but they weren’t able to join us. So, I think it’s only fitting that tonight’s inaugural “Featured B+ Hero of the Game” will be Andrew. It will be very sad for me to look up at the screen to see the collage of photos of Andrew, but it will also be cool as well. I hope Andrew is smiling down on us.
Andrew should be a Junior in college right now. This coming Monday (Labor Day) is Andrew’s 20th birthday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now you know what I can’t stop thinking of my buddy today!
Live Like Andrew — think of others first.
Ali & Andrew’s Dad