By Reid Forgrave
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PRICE HILL - During the six weeks Andy Geil had a rare form of cancer, he told his parents he thought of the illness as if it were one of the 400-meter races he ran in for Elder High School.

The 400 was his toughest race. Afterward, his whole body hurt - even his hair and his teeth - but before the race he could never think about the pain.

"I'm not going to think or worry about any of the (medical) procedures I'll have to endure," Andy told his parents, shortly before the 17-year-old Elder student died in December. "I'm just going to have to concentrate on the finish line."

That represented Andy's fighting spirit and was printed on the program for the funeral that packed St. William parish a month ago as his older brother, Joe, gave the eulogy.

Friends and family, classmates and fellow churchgoers will remember Andy's spirit again this weekend in two dances, one for teens and one for adults to raise money to help pay for his medical bills.

"It's kind of like a Geil weekend," said Karen Lee, who is helping organize the dances and whose son went to school with Andy. "This family is one of those really giving families who isn't very good at receiving. They're always giving to the world, and this is one small way the community of St. William can give back to the Geil family because they've just done so much for the community."

Tonight, students from Elder, Seton and Mother of Mercy will gather at St. William Church in Price Hill in honor of Andy. The next evening, adults from St. William will do the same.

They say it's a token of gratitude for the life of a boy who made everyone smile - whether it was while he played brass instruments like the tuba for the Elder marching band or guitar for his own rock band, while he was excelling in honors classes or running in track meets, or while he was volunteering at St. William Church.

"To know this family and to know this child, you truly felt blessed," Lee said.

His best friend, Dan Seibel, met him the first day of kindergarten at St. William School and was a junior at Elder with Andy.

He said he's trying to take Andy's example in dealing with the pain of his passing - by staying strong.

"He was stoic in everything he did," Seibel said. "He never let anyone see his pain because he didn't want to bring other people down."

Seibel said his friends at Elder are trying to keep Andy's spirit alive - by remembering their favorite "Andy quote," by recalling his inside jokes.

"No matter who was around, he'd always make them smile," Seibel said. "He was really able to connect with people."

Since the hall where the dances are being held accommodates only 300 people, the dances will be a more private affair for the school and the church community.

"We just want to let them know that Andy has touched so many people's lives," Lee said.

E-mail rforgrave@enquirer.com