“We owe it to each other to tell stories” Neil Gaiman
It’s very possible that Steve was known every bit as much for telling stories about his adventures as he was known for living the adventures. His generosity of spirit just wouldn’t allow him to keep all of his experiences to himself – he shared them. He was an engaging and gifted speaker and that, combined with the incredible energy and enthusiasm that he threw into life, resulted in humorous, inspirational, fun, and memorable stories that enriched the lives of everyone who heard them.
Steve’s stories were sometimes about himself – his challenges, his successes, and his failures. And they were also about the people he met and places he went. Whatever the subject, the stories revealed a part of Steve – his character – his humility – his optimism – his kindness – his dedication – his strength – his generosity – his courage. His stories endeared him to others and lingered in their hearts.
The Andrews’ good friends, Tom and Rita and their children, tell about their adventures with Steve and Julene when all of the kids were young. They vacationed along the Oregon Coast and went on camping trips amidst the beautiful Idaho mountains, lakes, and rivers. Their trips were always full of rigorous activities – camping at Banbury Hot Springs involved playing in the swimming pools and balancing on top of the floating slippery log – and camping in the Wood River Valley meant mountain biking down Baldy and Galena. And, no matter how active the days were, when the families returned to camp, Steve would jump out of the van and run the last couple of miles to the campsite.
Wherever they were, for Tom and Rita the highlight of every trip was the time spent around a campfire, whether it be along the sandy Pacific Coast or the fire ring in McCall or Sage Hen Reservoir. After the sun went down and the evening grew cold, they would roast marshmallows and Steve would tell his stories. Tom and Rita compared Steve Andrews to Forrest Gump because he would travel to places that they would never go and engage with people they would never see and accomplish things that they could not imagine. He crisscrossed the United States – seeing new places and meeting intriguing people – and then he brought his stories home to share.
One of Tom and Rita’s favorite Steve-O stories was about running by the O.J. Simpson Estate while in Brentwood, California after the infamous murder, and seeing the cordoned off area and the crowds gathered to glimpse the active crime scene. Only Steve would wander into such a notorious place. Steve loved sports and fitness, and told stories about his trips to Las Vegas for March Madness, to New York for the US Open, and about his tennis matches and triathlon competitions. Steve and the entire Andrews family loved sports – especially Los Angeles sports teams – so much that they even named their dog Kobe, after Kobe Bryant.
Storytelling is naturally human – beginning in early childhood. It’s our way of sharing the experiences that have made us feel something – something that we want others to feel, too. When Steve was healthy, his stories often carried messages about challenges, and obstacles, and endurance, and persistence, and the lessons learned from defeat, and the exhilaration felt in victory. The joy that he found in each moment, in each encounter, in each challenge, and in each day was so powerful that he gathered it up and spread it around.
After Steve’s diagnosis, Tom and Rita learned that, “unlike Forrest Gump – who floated aimlessly – Steve had a higher purpose that wasn’t entirely evident in those earlier nights by the campfire. When Steve encountered cancer, his character seemed to burn brighter to those who loved him. It has been said that fire purifies metals. The fire melts away what isn’t needed and only the important parts remain. Likewise, cancer ravaged Steve’s body, but it displayed his character and the inspirational messages that he wanted to share.” After years of honing his storytelling skill, he shared those inspirational messages of faith, love, optimism, and gratitude in the most beautiful and poignant story possible – through the story of his cancer journey.
CaringBridge Post
Steve Update – March 27th
By Steve Andrews — Mar 27, 2013 9:07pm
It’s time for a Steve update! Yesterday I finished my eighth chemotherapy session. This session was delayed over a week due to a low white blood cell count. This is becoming a consistent trend. My body is not bouncing back from the treatments as well as it did in the beginning. I’m going to start taking Neulasta shots in the future to help with this. My next scan is scheduled for April 11th. This scan has been delayed a month due to delays in my chemo sessions.
Last week we spent a week in Southern California with Michael and Karlie. Hermosa Beach was our first stop. Over the years I have fallen in love with this beach. It is very laid-back and very much a beach town. We enjoyed bike riding and running on the Strand along the beach and surfing and boogie boarding in the ocean. We also went to see our favorite team; The Los Angeles Lakers play a game at the Staples Center. Despite Kobe Bryant sitting the game out with an injury, the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings. We also saw Jack Nicholson all decked out in green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
At Hermosa we were able to spend time with Mike, one of my good friends from my first accounting job at Ernst & Whinney. Mike’s son Max is competing for the USC Trojans’ starting quarterback position as a true freshman. Mike was able to get Michael and me inside the Los Angeles Coliseum to watch a USC Spring practice. Max looked great and is competing hard for the starting role. I hope he gets the starting nod!
Our next stop on the California Vacation was Palm Desert. “PD”, as we call it, is an adjacent city to Palm Springs. Julene’s parents, Doug & Sharon, hosted us in a condo across the street from their winter home. We had a family reunion while we were there. Relatives from Boise, Seattle, Portland and California joined us for a great time. We had two fabulous dinners/pool parties hosted by members of our extended family. It was fantastic to see everyone at such great venues.
Our Park City friend Craig was also in the Palm Springs area visiting while we were there. On Friday we were able to get a swim workout with him at the new Palm Desert Aquatics Center, and have lunch with him and his wonderful mother, Barbara. On Saturday we went for a three hour mountain bike ride on the nearby Thomas Mountain. We actually saw snow at the summit. Very odd to see snow as it was 83 degrees in the Valley.
Graduation is fast approaching for my Executive MBA degree. Our Team is working on our final Capstone Project with a formal presentation coming up in May. My Team has been very supportive to me during these tough times. We work great together and I’m going to miss them after graduation. Our graduation date is May 18th.
Yes, I’m still going to work. I’ve always told people how great it is to work for Simplot. This has been reinforced again while I battle cancer. They have transferred some of my workload to others which has been a big help. And I’m now involved on an exciting new project where I can apply some of my MBA classroom skills. To my Simplot co-workers, thank you for being there for me. You are amazing and I really appreciate all your support.
I truly believe the “X Factor” is a big reason for my encouraging fight against cancer. Everywhere I go I hear about your prayers and positive thoughts. I’m now on Prayer Lists throughout the World. I can definitely feel the power of all your good wishes. THANK YOU!!!
My next chemo session is scheduled for next Monday, April 1st. Afterwards at 1pm, there will be a short, informal prayer session held for me at the Kissler Chapel in St. Luke’s Hospital, Downtown Boise. It will be conducted by the MSTI Chaplain, Kelly Loy. We did this before my last CT scan and it was a great experience. We should be done by 2:00pm. Feel free to join us if you’d like.
I’ve added a few pictures on this CaringBridge site from our California trip.
Happy Easter and God’s Blessings to all of you,
Steve
