While junior year is already considered by many to be the hardest year of high school, senior Andrew O’Dorisio never expected the additional burden of combating cancer. 

Photo by Dominic Fusco

ANDREW O’DORISIO, who has been battling with cancer, was distinguished at the senior athlete banquet with a new award in his namesake.

O’Dorisio, commonly referred to as “O’D” by his friends, was recently honored at the Redwood Senior Athletes’ Banquet on May 17. He was given the “Andrew O’Dorisio Award,” a namesake award that will continue to be given out to students in the future.

“On the award, it says it is for determination and for sticking with it,” O’Dorisio said. “The award is all about fighting through it all. I didn’t have an easy path, and they just awarded me for that.”

According to O’Dorisio, the recognition humbled him.

“It was a shock. I would have never guessed that I would have done something award-winning,” he said. “But I mean, no complaints. It’s pretty cool. I figure that in about five years, though, people are going to be like, ‘Who the heck is Andrew O’Dorisio?’”

On the road to competing in a sport every season of his high school career, O’Dorisio’s path hit a speed bump during the fall of his junior year. 

“Freshman year: football, basketball, baseball. Sophomore year: football, basketball, baseball. Junior year, midway through the football season my shoulder was hurting really bad, and I thought I broke it, just because it was in pain,” O’Dorisio said. “I kept playing anyways. I kept playing through it and all, just because I knew my team would need me.”

However, according to O’Dorisio, when the pain became too much to bare, he decided to get an x-ray.

“The doctor was like, ‘This is really bad,’” O’Dorisio said. “He told me that it wasn’t broken but that there was something else there. At that point I was just like, ‘All right whatever, I don’t really care. I’m just going to go suit up and probably go to practice by the end of the day.’”

But, due to his pain O’Dorisio never made it to practice.

“That night, my dad came and talked to me and told me they want to run some more scans at the hospital so I should pack a quick bag since I might be there overnight,” O’Dorisio said. “He told me before we left that I might have cancer, that they might think it’s cancer. At that point, I still didn’t really care that much because I was like, ‘Whatever it won’t happen to me.’”

At the hospital, he found out differently. O’Dorisio was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that can develop in bones and soft tissues. 

Every two weeks, O’Dorisio had to go to the hospital for medication. Treatments he received alternated between five and two days.

“I’d stay there overnight the entire time. That was a really big battle,” O’Dorisio said. “But I had my friends. My friends would show up and visit me. And Coach Nelson, he’s a good guy. He probably came in more than anyone. The whole experience let me see how nice people actually are.”

Although O’Dorisio went on playing football for a little time after his diagnosis, soon he was forced to quit the sport. In addition, the months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments forced him to finish his junior year of high school at home.

“Last year I didn’t go to school basically. I did work at home, but I had to drop a lot of classes,” he said.

O’Dorisio’s chemotherapy treatments concluded in June 2009, seven moths after his diagnosis. After follow-up doctor visits, it was announced that he was in remission.

During the fall of his senior year, O’Dorisio came back to Redwood and continued his athletic career away from football.

“I thought about football a lot and I wanted to play very badly. It is my favorite sport,” he said. “But I wouldn’t be able to just go out there and not be able to tackle people. I wanted to so bad, but I wouldn’t be able to go out there and just kick. I could never be that close to something I love and not be able to do it.”

Instead of football, O’Dorisio took on cross country and rec soccer.

“I just felt like I needed to get back into it,” he said. “Just because I was set off track for a little bit doesn’t mean the world stops.”

According to O’Dorisio, he got back into shape during the fall and participated in varsity basketball during the winter.

“That was the best team I’d ever been a part of. That was a lot of fun,” O’Dorisio said.

Towards the end of the season, however, O’Dorisio was re-diagnosed with cancer.

“I got re-diagnosed. Now, I’m taking medicines at home and at the hospital every three weeks for five days,” he said. “I’m in and out though. I shouldn’t have to do my medicines that much longer. Thankfully, I am able to go to school and finish up senior year.”

After graduating, O’Dorisio will be attending University of California at Berkeley for college. While he does not believe he has a chance of playing football competitively again in later life, O’Dorisio does plan on staying active.

“I’m sure I’ll always be active. Sports will always be a big part of my life. I like being active,” he said. “My body is very different than everyone else’s. I have these spontaneous bursts of energy.”