Edgerrin James' girlfriend, mother of his 4 kids, dies of leukemia

The girlfriend of former Immokalee star football player Edgerrin James and mother of his four children died of leukemia on Tuesday.

Andia Denise Wilson, 30, of Naples died at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa after battling acute myeloid leukemia. James, who plays for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, is listed as Wilson's "loving spouse and significant other'' in an obituary notice. James and Wilson had four children: Edquisha, 11, Ehyanna, 7, Edgerrin Jr., 4, and Euro, 2. Wilson also is survived by her parents, Jodi Wilson and Larry Green, and grandmother, Viola Fuller.
James, 30, started for the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, becoming the first Collier County high school product to participate in a Super Bowl. He rushed for 33 yards in the Cardinals' 27-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Tampa on Feb. 1.

James was a Parade All-American in high school, and starred at the University of Miami before being drafted fourth overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1999. He played seven seasons for the Colts, then signed with Arizona as a free agent in 2006. James is to be inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday. James, who has rushed for 12,121 yards in 10 seasons, asked the Cardinals to release him after the season, after he lost his starting job midseason.

Pierre Rutledge, head of the Edgerrin James Foundation, said the family would not be doing any interviews this week but would like to invite people to attend the funeral to honor Wilson's life. "It's tough on him,'' Rutledge said.
According to the American Cancer Society's Web site, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer that starts in cells that would normally develop into different types of blood cells. Most cases of AML develop from cells that would turn into white blood cells (other than lymphocytes), but some cases of AML develop in other types of blood-forming cells. (Acute leukemia that develops in lymphocytes is called acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). For more information on this type of leukemia, see the American Cancer Society document, Leukemia--Acute Lymphocytic.)
AML starts in the bone marrow (the soft inner part of the bones, where new blood cells are made), but in most cases it quickly moves into the blood. It can sometimes spread to other parts of the body including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and testes.

A funeral service and celebration of Wilson's life will be Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Naples, 3000 Orange Blossom Drive in North Naples. Visitation will be at the church on Wednesday, prior to the service, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to Avow Hospice, 1095 Whippoorwill Lane, Naples, 34105.

(naplesnews.com)