KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas family is honoring the legacy of a teenager who lost her battle with cancer.
Olivia Andrews, of Independence, Kansas, was 14 when she died in November 2022, but not before leaving a lasting legacy.
“She was just pure joy and had this infectious personality,” said Crystal Poovey, Olivia’s cousin. “When she arrived you couldn’t be sad. She was just pure light.
KSHB 41 first met Olivia at the Chiefs’ season opener during the 2022 season. The station heard about her story and provided game tickets for her and her family.
Olivia worked to cross items off her to-do list. Experiencing her first Chiefs game was just one of the many things she accomplished.
“A couple of weeks before her death she actually got a tattoo. She took it like a champ,” Poovey said. “She got to do a lot of things in a short period of time and we are very grateful for that.”
Olivia was most known for her kind heart. She has repeatedly helped people suffering from homelessness while undergoing chemotherapy.
“That’s what we want to continue to honor for her: spreading kindness to others like she did,” Poovey said. “Without expectations of repayment or anything.”
People on Facebook are starting to share their act of kindness for Olivia after her family handed out cards at her memorial asking attendees for a good deed.
More recently, some people have donated clothes to those in need, cleaned up a neighbor’s yard, and helped an elderly person with his groceries.
Poovey said the family likes to read about the acts of kindness on Olivia’s memorial page.
“Reading what other people are doing, spreading kindness to honor Olivia really touches us and keeps us going,” she said. “That’s why we started the initiative in the first place. We wanted to spread the kindness Olivia was doing.
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