By Jennifer McBride

Local communities lost a very special little boy when 8-year-old Andrew Bedard of Saratoga died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm on July 10.

According to Andrew's mother, Karlina Ott, the family was unaware of a congenital problem in his brain prior to the aneurysm. More specifically, it was an arterial vascular malformation.

Ott said the family did a lot of research after they learned what had caused her son's death, and discovered that his congenital problem is actually the same thing that causes birthmarks in the skin, only Andrew's situation was instead in his brain.

"Most people are not aware of it," Ott says. Doctors and medical sources say this condition is only detectable with an MRI or CAT scan.

Ott relayed that capillaries between the arteries and veins in Andrew's brain never formed properly. Over time, this can put pressure on the arteries, causing them to bleed. Ott said this is what happened to her son, eventually causing the aneurysm.

Andrew's family is currently planning a celebration of his life, to be held Aug. 4 at his school, Saratoga Elementary.

"He was bright," says Ott. "The things I hear the most from others about him is that he was happy, loving and amazingly cute."

Andrew was a very active boy. He played soccer with the American Youth Soccer Organization, and his favorite position was goalie. According to his mother, Andrew lived by what he said—"No matter what the score is, if you have a good attitude, you are a winner."

"Andrew lived as a winner," she says. "He could come off the soccer field, and even if his team had the lower score, he smiled." According to Ott, he was a very big fan of the San Jose Earthquakes, and especially loved to watch Pat Onstad, the team's goalkeeper.

One of Andrew's favorite subjects in school was physical education, due to his love of outdoor activities, and he was very interested in the biological sciences. Other hobbies included reading, love of animals, bicycling, wrestling with his older brother, Adrian, playing the piano, and going to the new Saratoga Library, which Ott said he loved.

"We spent a lot of time there," she recalls. Andrew was also an active member of the YMCA's Adventure Guides program.

The celebration of his life on Aug. 4 will begin at 10:30 a.m. At 10:55 a.m., the time of his birth, his family is asking those who Andrew touched to blow soap bubbles in his memory.

"The soap bubbles not only recall Andrew's joy of life and lightness of being, they remind us of the fragility of life, and how important it is to live each day as if it were your last," says Ott. "That is how Andrew lived."

Andrew's family also encourages more people to become organ donors.

"We did organ donation, and are very pleased with the whole process," said Ott.

A memorial fund has been set up in Andrew's name at the Saratoga branch of Wells Fargo Bank.