Meriden Man Donates Nearly $15K To Former NFL Player’s Foundation

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden man recently raised nearly $15,000 for the foundation launched by former NFL player Joe Andruzzi that helped support him during his own cancer fight.

Steve Destefano donated $14,696 to the Joe Andruzzi Foundation through a dart tournament he organized with his wife Sue.

Destefano presented the check at the foundation’s headquarters in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, on July 10.

“Steve’s journey and his generous act of paying it forward are truly inspiring,” said Andruzzi, co-founder and chief engagement officer of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation. “His donation will directly impact the lives of many other cancer patients and their families, helping us to provide the financial support they desperately need. Steve and Sue are wonderful examples of paying it forward!”

Destefano, a patient of the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute at MidState Medical Center, was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma on September 10, 2021. He has undergone four cycles of R-EPOCH chemotherapy and has been unable to work since September 3, 2021, according to a news release.

During his treatment, the Joe Andruzzi Foundation provided crucial financial assistance, helping with insurance, electric bills, and food.

“Having experienced firsthand the much-needed support from the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, I wanted to find a way to give back,” Destefano said. “Organizing the dart tournament was my way of saying thank you and ensuring that other patients can receive the same help and hope that I did.”

Andruzzi, a three-time Super Bowl-winning offensive guard with the New England Patriots, founded the foundation with his wife Jen in 2008. The Joe Andruzzi Foundation grew out of Joe’s own successful battle with cancer and the couple’s work with young cancer patients.

“The Joe Andruzzi Foundation helps New Englanders battling cancer through a variety of programs including Financial Assistance, Food Security, Treatment Transportation, Extraordinary Needs, and additional wellness resources,” according to a news release. “Since its start, the Foundation has granted over $10 million to more than 40,000 cancer patients across New England to help ease the pressure of household expenses, food, transportation, extraordinary needs, and wellness resources while undergoing treatment. In 2023 alone, JAF distributed more than $1.3 million in direct assistance to help patients and their families throughout New England. In May, JAF celebrated its $1 million milestone in food security grants.”

For more information, visit the Joe Andruzzi Foundation here.