Michael Andel
Mike was raised in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Mike currently resides in the Chicago west suburb of Bloomingdale, with his lovely wife Tera and their amazing children. Mike graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Illinois and has worked for AT&T for twenty years. Mike is very proud to be a Union Representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local 21; having held both elected and appointed positions. Mike represents the at&t employees in the north suburbs, from Evanston to Rockford, and everything in between.
July 28th 2017 is the day that the Andel family’s life changed forever. At 4 o’clock in the morning he had his first seizure as his wife Tera was leaving to workout. She quickly made sure he was not choking, and called 911. Mike believes a divine intervention happened and his wife truly saved him. He was quickly taken to a local hospital, where it was determined he had a brain tumor. His family decided he would receive the best care at Rush, so he was transferred immediately. They soon met Dr. Munoz and he shared his plan of attack to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Mike never second-guessed the decisions his family and medical team made for him.
Dr. Munoz performed Mike’s Craniotomy, removing a large portion of his brain tumor. Dr. Nam then became Mike’s Neuro Oncologist when they got the bad news that the tumor was malignant. Getting the news of having brain cancer was not easy to take, but it created a fire inside Mike that he was unwilling to extinguish. The fire fuels him to fight for his family and friends. His family made this all possible by taking the time off to drive him to all of his doctor visits and help him get around to the grocery story. It was a difficult time not being able to drive, but Mike made the best of it and overcame.
Dr. Diaz worked on Mike’s Radiation plan. Together He and Dr. Nam put together a plan of attack of Chemo and Radiation. This seemed to help in the process. Mike is very grateful for the care that the radiation team gave him, as well as all the Nurses on Dr. Nam’s team. Dr. Nam continues to treat Mike with Chemotherapy and support.
Mike has run multiple, sub 4-hour marathons, and he plans to run another, once Dr. Nam clears him. He is hopeful to start training soon for possibly the next Boston Marathon, running and raising money for a cancer charity such as Brain Up or Phil’s Friends.
Mike is a Cancer Warrior! Cancer chose the wrong person to mess with. This experience has helped Mike restore his faith in Christ, and with Christ, ALL things are possible. Every day is a gift, and Mike uses each day to be optimistic, spread the good word, and be a positive speaker to anyone dealing with similar situations. He has made many friends with similar situations since being diagnosed, and he lost a friend and coworker right after being diagnosed.
Mike is honored to receive the Bravery Award. He continues to use his experiences to encourage, motivate, and inspire others.
