Andrew John Hendel was born in 1995 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and adopted along with his twin brother into the Hendel family on April 16, 1996. He grew up in rural Minnesota, where he was active in many sports. Andy had a loving and caring personality. It was important to him to give of his time to help others. On January 22, 2012, 16-year-old Andy took his own life. He donated cardiovascular and musculoskeletal tissue that has helped 63 recipients, aged 15 to 82, in 25 states. His father said that "Andy had a message for us all. Be kind to others, smile always."

Andrew's Story

Andrew John Hendel was born in 1995 in Hanoi, Vietnam. He was adopted, along with his twin brother, Josh, into the Hendel family on April 16, 1996. "Andyman" grew up in rural Minnesota, where he was active in many sports including football, baseball and basketball, as well as fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and skiing. An avid cribbage and video games player, Andy also had a passion for reading. He was a lifeguard at a local swimming pool in the summer and at Safari Island during the school year.

"Andy had a loving and caring personality. He was always smiling. It was important to him to give of his time to help others, and he volunteered at a local medical center helping patients," recalled his father, John. "We learned after his death that he would leave study hall to go help kids with math. He would bring coffee for one of his friends every day. When he received his driver's license, he announced he would become a donor."

On January 22, 2012, 16-year-old Andy took his own life. He donated cardiovascular and musculoskeletal tissue and, to date, his gifts have helped 63 recipients, aged 15 to 82, and in 25 states.

Andy's death has had a huge impact on his family, friends and community. At the funeral home, more than 1,000 books were collected and donated to area schools, hospitals and Operation Smile, a cause for which Andy had just signed up; he had looked forward to going on one of their mission trips. To date, more than $10,000 has been raised for Operation Smile.

"We also started a free library, 'Little Free Library,' in front of our house for kids to take and read books," John added. "Last year, we started the Andy Hendel Foundation with the goal to strike out suicide and provide areas schools with funds to bring in speakers to address suicide prevention. Last summer was our first annual Andyman Baseball Classic Tournament, where we raised $6,000 to help raise awareness in the community for suicide prevention.

"Andy had a message for us all. Be kind to others, smile always. "