Former New England Patriot and cancer survivor Joe Andruzzi talked to students about cancer prevention yesterday at St. John's High School.

"One week I was training for my eleventh season in the NFL and the next week I couldn't get out of bed," said Joe Andruzzi to a packed gymnasium of students. "I won three Superbowls and it was nothing compared to the battle I was about to face."

Andruzzi was a starting offensive lineman for the New England Patriots from 2001 to 2006. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 at age 31 and has teamed up with the 15-40 Connection in Worcester to talk to students about cancer prevention, as he is now a cancer survivor.

"I had a stomach ache one day when I was working out at the gym and training for the upcoming season," he said. "And then it got worse, and I went to the doctor and found out I had a tumor around my colon."

He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Burkitt's lymphoma within two weeks of having stomach pain.

The 15-40 Connection was founded when it was revealed that nearly 70,000 15 to 40 year olds in the United States are diagnosed with cancer every year. And cancer survival rates for this age group have remained the same since 1975, according to their Web site.

"My father founded the 15-40 Connection after learning about these statistics and that's why we are here to talk to you about early detection and what you can do," said Chris Couglin, who spoke about the 15-40 Connection and what students can do to prevent cancer. "You can do three things—go get a physical every year, check yourself, and if something doesn't feel right, go to a doctor immediately."

Sophomore Aidan Fox asked Andruzzi how he felt after he was diagnosed.

"I was shocked," Andruzzi said. "I shut down and started asking myself 'Why me?,' but then I started to change my thinking and started asking, 'How am I going to go after this?' and I came up with my plan on how to beat it."

As a cancer survivor and proponent of healthy living, Andruzzi urged students to take care of themselves. "When you have a car, you keep it maintained," he said. "That's what you need to do with your body—if you see a McDonald's or Burger King, then drive by—healthy eating is one of the best ways to prevent cancer."

Andruzzi spoke to students from all grades at St. John's High School and also started his own foundation, the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, in 2008, which raises money to help patients who are battling cancer and their families and also funds pediatric brain cancer research.

For more information about the foundation, visit the Web site.