Andrew Christopher Escobedo

Andrew was born in Mesa, Arizona on November 14, 1988. He was born with Spina Bifida, which is a developmental birth defect caused by the incomplete closure of the spine. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open and a portion of the spinal cord protrudes through the opening in the bones. Because of this, Andrew was paralyzed in his lower legs and feet. Spina Bifida also unfortunately brings many other problems that affect other systems in the body, which leads to a lifetime of orthopedic and neurological surgeries and procedures, as well as severe issues relating to the kidneys. In Andrew's short 21 years he had well over 100 surgeries and procedures to either save his life at times or to give him the best possible quality of life at other times. In his last few years, Andrew spent more time in the hospital than he did outside of it. The many things that he had to do on a daily basis just to function on a somewhat normal level like "normal" people do were more than you can imagine. It was never a matter of waking up and jumping to his feet and carrying on with his day... it involved leg braces or his wheel chair to get around, process to deal with his kidney problems, medication to manage pain or infection, and help from caregivers sometimes when needed. Yet from the very beginning, Andrew's most frustrating quality, his stubbornness, was in fact the one thing that made him overcome so many physical struggles. They told us he would probably never walk. They were wrong. He knew that he would, so he did! We worried that his disability would hold him back. To that he said no way, as he participated in everything from karate to wheelchair racing to swimming to driving to volunteering with the county sheriff's department to working in music production. His body never kept him from doing things he wanted to do, he just had to learn to do them his way. While his life was never easy and never without pain and suffering, he dared to live out his dreams and live his life to the fullest extent possible. He never stopped dreaming and never stopped believing in himself. He never really even asked why he had to be dealt the hand he was dealt. He accepted it with an endless amount of grace. He knew that while his legs did not work so well, some others had no legs. That while he was poked and prodded and cut open and marinated in medications his entire life, others were still not as lucky as he was. His strength, courage, and perseverance were immeasurable. And even though he never had much and always needed more, he was the most generous person you could have known. What little he had, he often happily gave away in order to do things for other people whenever he could. Andrew was blessed with a very large family and many friends and he loved spending time with everyone. If you were one of the many who meant something special to him, you were also truly blessed. Andrew spent his last 5 years of life decorating his body with amazing tattoos that he took great pride in. He also loved his music and spent time with local bands working on music production or lending a hand at their performances. He treasured the places he was able to travel to and was most fond of his vacations in Spain and Minnesota. And those of you who knew him best know that he could not live without his favorites... Skittles, Mountain Dew, and teriyaki chicken. Surely there's an endless supply of those in heaven just for him! Andrew leaves behind his Mother Lisa, Father Raul, Step-Father Alex, and Step-Mother Lynn, Grandparents Bob and Joanne and Neo and Choni, and siblings Nick, Kaitlin, Jacob, Spencer, Dante, Dario, Camryn, and Erica, and step-siblings AJ and Cheyenne. Following his viewing and funeral service, Andrew will be cremated as he wished and laid to rest in the Mausoleum of the Valley of the Sun Mortuary. Although Andrew will be deeply missed by so many people, we can take comfort in knowing that he now walks and runs and soars without limits and is finally at peace.

Arrangements under the direction of Valley of the Sun Mortuary & Cemetery, Chandler, AZ.