How Su overcame health challenge to flourish
Andrea Su doesn’t remember much about the hospital, the port being put in her chest, the chemotherapy treatments, the vomiting.
She was only 3 when she was diagnosed with cancer.
“I was so little,” she said. “It kind of just blurred.”
She vividly remembers the Thanksgiving celebration with her family last year, when she was 10 years free of cancer and was told by her oncologist she wouldn’t ever have to return for checkups. The Arizona College Prep swimmer had beaten cancer.
“That was a really good Thanksgiving for us,” said her mother, Ann Xu.
Su realized then what kind of hardship she had gone through as a little girl when she was hitting the hospital’s gong to declare she was cancer-free.
“I realized what I had been through,” she said. “But during the time, I just went through the process, what the doctor said, day by day.”
When she was in remission, free of cancer, she would go back every three months for screenings. Then every six months. Then it was every year.
“I went through that for 10 years, and now I don’t have to go,” she said.
Andrea is known as “Meimei” by her high school swimming teammates, coach and family. That is Mandarin for “Little sister,” a name that stuck at a young age with her brother Edward Lisen Su being two years older.
At one point during the difficult early ordeal, Edward, who goes by his middle name Lisen, was given an award from the hospital for best sibling of the year. Their parents were so focused on Meimei and making sure she would get through.
“He definitely deserved it,” Meimei said. “He gave up so much for me.
“I love him to death. He’s always been by my side.”
They don’t know too much about those early days when Meimei’s body was being bombarded by medications and the chemo treatments she received. But their father, who was separated from their mom, would drive Lisen to the hospital to visit Meimei. They would play for hours, with her big brother keeping her mind off of what she was going through.
The first three years, Meimei was with her mom and Lisen was with his dad, their mother said. Then, they were together, living with their mom with their father having visitations. The siblings were each other’s glue, best
friends. And when her brother took to the pool to swim on a competitive club team, she followed suit.
“I don’t remember much,” said Lisen, who swam at Chandler Hamilton High School and is now a freshman at Arizona State. “I just remember going to the hospital, playing around, and making sure I had fun with her. I just remember those moments with my sister.”
When she went through the cancer treatments, Ann said that she prayed every night, “Thanking Jesus for healing her.”
She felt it was already happening, while her daughter fought the leukemia.
Arizona College Prep swimming coach Kristine Nelson, whose teams won both the boys and girls Division III state championships last year for the first time in school history with Su being a part of the girls team’s success, calls Su “an inspiration.”
Su lost nearly two competitive years of swimming during her eighth grade and freshman year, but, now a junior, she is a big contributor to the team, both in and out of the pool.
In mid-September, ACP went head-tohead with Scottsdale Saguaro and Chandler Seton Catholic in double duals. She led her team to victory in the 200-yard medley and 200-freestyle relays. She also had her personal best in the 100 breaststroke at 1 minute, 12.38 seconds. She was second in the 200 individual medley with an untapered time PR of 2:24.92.
“Meimei is a huge supporter of all her teammates and brings out the best in everyone,” Nelson said. “She constantly strives unselfishly to cheer on others while working quietly on herself.”
Now, Su thinks about one day being an oncologist and helping children with cancer.
“I’m just really inspired at helping people,” she said. “Because they can be like me and have such a great story.”