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Andrew Madoff was originally diagnosed with cancer in 2003. He thought he’d beaten the disease, but was blindsided last year after it resurfaced. “I just wanted to express my deep gratitude for all the love and support,” Madoff said. “It’s meant so much to me. It’s been so helpful. I need it now more than ever.”
Bernie Madoff’s son Andrew Madoff is going through a trial of his own.
On Tuesday, the 47-year-old received a donor lymphocyte infusion to help him fight stage four cancer.
Andrew thought he’d successfully beaten his mantle cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, 10 years ago. He told People that the stress and shame that he dealt with after hearing about his father’s $ 65 billion Ponzi scheme caused his cancer to surface again.
RELATED: BERNIE MADOFF CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR SON’S SUICIDE
After undergoing several rigorous rounds of chemotherapy, he received a stem cell transplant on May 29th at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
“Things were humming along nicely, but then one of the components of the transplant started failing,” Andrew told People.
He’s hoping the donor infusion on Tuesday will help the transplant stick. His doctors have warned him that there’s a 50/50 chance that it won’t work and that he can try again in a couple of weeks if things take a turn for the worse.
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Andrew Madoff and his fiancee Catherine Hooper started a disaster-preparedness company called Black Umbrella. But Andrew had to cut back on his hours there in January, to deal with his cancer.
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“It’s hard. It’s been a long road. I’ve been receiving treatment since January, and it’s a lot,” he said. “Six rounds of chemotherapy, then radiation, then more chemo before the transplant, then the transplant itself.”
Throughout all the back and forth, Andrew’s fiancee Catherine Hooper, his children and his friends have stayed by his side. And he has another supporter in his mom Ruth Madoff. Andrew and his late brother Mark Madoff didn’t speak to their mom for years, after she initially refused to cut relations with their dad. After Mark committed suicide in 2010, Andrew and Ruth’s relationship has mended.
The hundreds of emails and letters that he’s gotten from his supporters are helping him stay strong.
RELATED: BERNIE MADOFF WAS IN ‘LOVE TRIANGLE’ WITH EMPLOYEE: COURT PAPERS
“No matter what ends up happening, those well wishes weren’t for naught,” he says. “They’ve made a huge difference to me in making me feel good and stay positive.”
But Andrew says he’ll never feel any differently about his dad, who is serving a 150-year sentence in a federal prison. Andrew and Mark were the ones who turned Bernie in to authorities in 2008.
“Even on my deathbed I will never forgive him for what he did,” Andrew said.
