Last modified: Saturday, November 29, 2008 1:27 AM EST Cancer survivor, Joe Andruzzi spends some time at home with his wife, Jennifer. Photogrphic portraits of their children (top from left: Hunter and Brieanna; bottom Thomas and Teresa) hang on the wall behind them. Andruzzi is going on the offensive against cancer by starting a foundation. (Staff photo by Martin Gavin) On offense for a cure BY JULIET PENNINGTON FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE MANSFIELD --  Former New England Patriots offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi saw his fair share of battles during his 10-year NFL career - and he has three Super Bowl rings to prove it. None of those battles, however, prepared him for the fight of his life, when in May 2007 he was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma, an aggressive form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. While most cancer patients undergo weekly or biweekly chemotherapy sessions on an outpatient basis, Andruzzi was admitted to the hospital and had to endure the treatments five, sometimes 10 days straight. "It was tough. I couldn't even get out of bed," said the 6-foot-3-inch New York native. Sitting at the kitchen table in his comfortable Mansfield home near Bungay Lake, Andruzzi, 33, talked about his ordeal and how it inspired him to do whatever he can to help others who are faced with this "scary, scary disease." The first order of business, he explained, is to raise money to help eradicate cancer - something, coincidentally, he was doing even before he was diagnosed with the disease. While with the Patriots from 2000 to 2004, Andruzzi and his wife, Jennifer, befriended a Providence teenager named C.J. Buckley, who suffered from an inoperable brain tumor. When he died in December 2003, the Andruzzis, who remain close family friends with the Buckleys, established the C.J. Buckley Brain Cancer Research Fund at Children's Hospital in Boston. With his 140-pound Rotweiller, Blaton - who, Andruzzi said, is on a diet - and a petite Cockapoo, Bella, looping around the kitchen and vying for attention, Andruzzi explained how seeing the strength and courage with which Buckley fought helped him get through his challenge. He has been in remission for 18 months. His wife and four children - Hunter, 10, Breanna, 8, Thomas, 6, and Teresa, 3, - also gave him "incredible strength," as did his three brothers, all of whom are New York City firefighters and were part of the Sept. 11, 2001 rescue effort. One of his brothers, Jimmy, barely escaped from the second tower before it collapsed. Andruzzi recalls being visited in the hospital by Jimmy. "I asked him how he got through it and he said, 'Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger,' " he said. "That really helped. I knew I had to beat this. I wasn't going to let it beat me." Andruzzi, a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, played for the Green Bay Packers for three years, NFL Europe's Scotland franchise for one year, the Patriots, then the Cleveland Browns in 2005-2006. In the spring of 2007, a couple of weeks after being released by the Browns, Andruzzi, who was living with his family in Strongsville, Ohio, at the time, came down with a stomach ache that wouldn't go away. "I didn't think it was anything serious. I mean, it was a stressful time," he said. "I was still training and planning to hook up with another team." Andruzzi went to the doctor and underwent a battery of tests, including a colonoscopy. When the results came back, indicating that it was an aggressive form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, the news hit him like a ton of bricks. "Cancer. I didn't believe it," Andruzzi said, shaking his head. "When you hear that word, your life changes forever." Andruzzi headed back to Boston immediately, where he spent nearly two months at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and at Brigham & Women's Hospital. "It was rough. There were times when I'd have a 103, 104-degree fever for four days straight. I felt like I was on my deathbed," Andruzzi said. "Having Jen by my side gave me great strength. She was my rock." Andruzzi said that while he always embraced life, this experience has strengthened his resolve to "live every day to the fullest." "Life is short. You can't change things that happened in the past and you don't know what the future is going to bring, so you have to live for today," he said. Andruzzi said that even though he has been given a clean bill of health, he still suffers from the residuals of chemotherapy - including numbness in his limbs. "That," he said with a smile, "I can handle." He's not sure what his next professional endeavor will be, but it might involve training young athletes. For now, he is happy to be living in Mansfield - a community that has "embraced and supported" his family - and spending time on the home front, which includes coaching his kids in flag football and soccer. As the first annual "New England Celebrities Tackle Cancer" event draws near, Andruzzi and his wife have a unified one-track mind. "This is pretty much all we're doing right now," said Jennifer, who owns an interior decorating company, Jade Redesign. While opening a UPS package containing an autographed jersey for the auction, she was juggling two phone calls - one on her mobile and one on the landline - about Monday night's event. "It's crazy, but we're really happy to be doing this and to be giving back in any way we can," she said. "It should be a fun night." For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Joe Andruzzi Foundation at 508-838-8198 or visit www.joeandruzzifoundation.blogspot.com.