Joe Andruzzi has always been surrounded by family. As one of four sons born to a New York City police officer and his wife in Staten Island, New York, Andruzzi learned early on about the value of giving back to his community and how family can help people through the toughest times of their lives.

And he never valued family more than in 2007, when he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer that nearly took his life in a Boston hospital bed. Despite playing 10 seasons in the National Football League and wining three Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots, Andruzzi had never faced a battle like Burkitt's lymphoma, and it changed his life irrevocably. After a year of exhausting recovery, he went on to found the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, which has helped more than 8,000 families and individuals affected by cancer. 

On this episode of Paternal, Andruzzzi discusses his battle with cancer and the psychological toll it took on him, as well as his oldest brother’s narrow escape from tragedy as a New York City fire fighter on 9/11, and how his father’s role as one of New York’s finest shaped the family’s values.

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