Obituary of Drew O'Donoghue

Drew O'Donoghue of Whitehouse Station, NJ, passed away February 14, 2014 after a yearlong battle with adrenocortical cancer. He was 22 years old. Drew is survived by his father Sean, his mother Lisa and his brother Patrick. He is also survived by his two grandmothers Joan O'Donoghue of Rutherford, NJ and Joan Paliotta, of Bedminster, NJ along with 13 aunts and uncles, and 25 cousins. Drew was a gifted student, a talented musician, and former high school athlete. He enjoyed playing piano, and he composed and recorded several original pieces of music. He was most recently a senior at Villanova School of Business where he majored in finance and accounting with a minor in Chinese. He was on pace to graduate Magna Cum Laude in 2014. He achieved Dean's List each semester at Villanova and was selected and honored to join both the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society and the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi in May of 2013. Throughout his college experience he participated in many philanthropic events, was an active member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and an avid Wildcat basketball and lacrosse fan. In 2011 Drew studied at Fudan University, Shanghai China where he attended courses in international business and traveled throughout the country. During his stay in China, he worked as an intern at a major global marketing firm. Drew graduated from Hunterdon Central High School, Flemington NJ in 2010 where he was selected into the National Honor Society, the National Spanish Honor Society, received the Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar award and AP Scholar award with Distinction. He was honored to be selected as captain of the varsity basketball team, was named to the 1st team All-County, the County Tournament All-Star team, 2nd team All-Skyland Conference, Honorable mention All-Area, 3rd Team All West Jersey and lead the county in 3-point field goals and named the team's MVP. In addition he was selected as Varsity Scholar Athlete for the 2009 & 2010 teams. Adrenocortical cancer (ACC), a rare and aggressive cancer, strikes only about 1,000 people a year in the US. Drew, while fighting his own fight against this challenging disease, extended his war against adrenal cancer. He has most recently endorsed a newly created endowment fund to keep the fight focused and strong. This fund, in his name, has been developed and designed to fund research specifically related to ACC, as well as for the patients and families affected by this cancer. The effort resides at the University of Michigan Health System. Funds raised for the Drew O'Donoghue Fund will be used to support the faculty, research, patients and other needs of the Adrenal Cancer Program. Additionally, we hope to use these funds to promote the coordination of resources, studies, communication and patient care between the University of Michigan and other institutions across the country, like Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where Drew was being treated. In lieu of flowers please take a moment to learn about adrenocortical cancer and consider a donation to the Drew Fund. Adrenal Cancer Program at the University of Michigan: www.uofmhealth.org/adrenalcancer Give online to the Drew O'Donoghue Fund victors.us/drewodonoghue A visitation will be held on Monday, February 17, 2014 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 390 County Road 523, Whitehouse Station, NJ. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 9:30 AM at the Church.