Andies's Story

Andie's Story

Andie Mae Carpenter was a Holley High School graduate studying to be a radiologic tech at North Country Community College.

"She actually figured out that she has a passion for CAT scan. She was going to pursue that after graduation,” said her mother, Maria Vowles.

But in January 2019, the 20-year-old suddenly died after one of her arteries ruptured.

"She was just my best friend,” said Vowles.

At 15-years-old, Andie was diagnosed with vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or vEDS, a rare disorder that affects connective tissue.

"Every hollow organ in her body was fragile, it could rupture at any time. Blood vessels, uterine lining, intestines, lungs. They were all just really, really fragile,” said Vowles.

Now, her family is on a mission to raise awareness about the condition. They launched Adventures in Love 4 Andie. The hashtag is written on stones.

"We're hoping people can continue that on and honor Andie's memory by leaving those stones in places that make them think of her or places that she would have loved to visit,” said Mandy Carpenter, Andie’s stepmother.

They also took part in reds for vEDS, an online campaign to spread the word, with hundreds of family and friends wearing red in honor of Andie.

"I got overwhelmed in the morning when I woke up and hopped on Facebook and just saw my whole feed flooded with red," said Carpenter.

"It just makes me think there really is love in this world and it makes me so happy that it's because of Andie,” said Vowles.

Two scholarships in Andie's name will also help students at her high school and college. Most of all, her mom hopes their efforts can help find a cure.

"I just hope that we could help somebody else have more time with their loved one, because 20 years wasn't enough,” said Vowles.

There are two events coming up to honor Andie and raise awareness about vEDS.

There is a memorial WOD at Monroe County CrossFit in June.

There is also a memorial 5K fun run in Holley in July.

All donations will go to her scholarship funds and research into finding a cure. Andie was awarded her degree posthumously by North Country Community College.

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