Andover community remembers Anders Flaa through annual tournament
ANDOVER, Minn. -- There is a tournament and a field that bear his name -- Anders Flaa -- the boy with the infectious personality.
"[He had] A lot of energy, always kind of a clown, and was a really good teammate because he was always cheering on the other guys whether he was in the game or not," said Brad Flaa, Anders' dad.
At age 14, with one trip to the doctor, the Flaas' lives changed forever.
"I mean, it's devastating. And it took us by surprise, you know, it was really one day... We had very limited symptoms," said Marsha Flaa, Anders' mom.
The diagnosis was glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer. They would not fight it alone -- Andover was there.
"But we never felt alone," Marsha Flaa said. "And I think that was, you know, one of the things that really carried us. We had really amazing support -- our church, our family, our neighbors, our schools."
Anders Flaa lost his battle, but his impression remains -- it's the reason there is a tournament in his name, the reason there is much given to his life.
"The three different scholarships were love of music, love of life and love of sports, and that really kind of describes how Anders was," Brad Flaa said.
The home team of Andover was for them as they embraced a family in dire need in the worst of times.
"We got home and our phone started ringing. It was neighbors and teachers, teachers we've never met, reached out to us within hours of his diagnosis," Marsha Flaa said.
That has been unrelenting -- people that care coming forward to carry on a name because they care, because they know it's what humanity should be about -- to be there for someone.
"It's been an honor being able to celebrate Anders and bringing all the communities together and still telling his story even after, you know, 10 years after he's been gone," said Sarah Orhm with the Andover Baseball Association.
As they look at life today, they wonder what would have been.
"He would be 26, you know," Marsha said. "His friends have started to get married and have kids. Yeah, I mean, what that would be to us."
The Flaa family has moved to Fargo, but this field stands as a reminder of teammates that care. Every year, they return for the tournament.
"It's so much fun being able to bring them out here and still talking to them after all these years, showing them that we still care. And we still want to tell his story of what baseball meant to him," Orhm said.
They have been able to help counsel families in similar situations.
"One thing that we realized in the years since is a lot of families go through this type of thing, losing a child, whether it's to a car accident or disease or whatever," Brad Flaa said.
They have learned that Andover will forever be a part of their lives when they needed support the most.
"An event like this, to go back to see the people that went through it with us, and people that are hearing the story for the first time, it really means a lot," Brad Flaa said.
