#Faturday, Detroit sports enthusiast Andy Isaac shares 'final thoughts,' words of encouragement

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Among many things, it's the real passion and raw reactions that have more than 90,000 people following metro Detroit native Andy Isaac on social media.

Isaac started posting online in 2006 with his blog "World of Isaac," a space where he could update friends and family on his journey with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Andy Isaac

With an infectious personality like Isaac's, the platform quickly grew.

Over the years, he has become well known in metro Detroit for his local sports reactions, positive outlook on life and Saturday food reviews that are affectionately known as #Faturday.

Andy Isaac

However, it's his post on X on Feb. 18 that stopped more than 5 million users mid-scroll.

Isaac shared that his cancer has "finally taken its toll." He decided to go on hospice care. He said he's tired and in pain while sharing some "final thoughts."

Andy Isaac

As someone who has created so much joy through his online presence, we reached out to Isaac, asking if he'd answer some of our questions. He kindly obliged.

• When did you first start posting on social media, and do you remember why?
  
  • "In November of 2006, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. I started a blog called "The World Of Isaac," so that friends and family could follow my journey through treatment. When I finished, I wanted to continue writing about sports and pop culture and kinda move away from cancer blogging, so my writing morphed into something different. People enjoyed my humor. The internet was a lot softer and less harsh back then. Twitter popped up in 2009 and I immediately gravitated there for a lot of my content, reviewing food, screaming about Detroit sport losses, etc.... Then #Faturday came around and it was a way for people to celebrate some of the crazy things they ate on their cheat day. It was just a lot more simple back then on social media and the internet."
• In your own words, describe Detroit sports and what is special about them.
  
  • "Detroit sports is about resiliency. Detroit sports is about heartbreak and gut-wrenching losses. It's also about those extremely special teams like the Bad Boys, the Red Wings of the '90s and '00s. And of course, all the sadness and happiness the Lions and Tigers have brought us. It's the whole spectrum of sports love."
• What has the recent Lions success meant to you?
  
  • "In truth, I really believed the Lions would win the Super Bowl this year. Selfishly, I did everything I could to make sure I could stay alive to see them win it. The loss crushed me, it really did. I still think they have an opportunity to get there and win one. This year was the perfect spot but alas, you can't control injuries, you can't control things that are out of your hands. Ultimately, that's the reason we're not talking about the Lions as 2025 Super Bowl champs."
• How did #Faturday come about? What do you like about it?
  
  • "Faturday was a way for me and others on the internet to be like yeah, it's OK to eat crazy cheat meals, it's OK to love and celebrate food. It gave me an opportunity to visit places I wouldn't normally eat at and expand my palate. Detroit doesn't nearly get the credit it deserves as a food destination. There's a lot more than coneys, Vernors, Faygo, corned beef and Detroit-style pizza."
• If you are comfortable to do so, please describe your battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
  
  • "My Hodgkin's battle is unique in that most people believe it to be the good cancer. And it is. Success rate for front-line treatment and even relapse treatment with an autologous transplant are highly successful. Unfortunately for me, after multiple relapses, my disease became a rare case of refractory lyphoma. Despite countless rounds of chemo, radiation, immunotherapy, clinical trials from 2010 until now, nothing would hold more than a few months to a year. Several years ago, it became obvious that I would not be able to stay ahead of the disease. CAR T(-cell therapy) was promising, but I failed it within months. Another clinical trial called AFM-13 ultimately did a number on me. Not too long after, my bone marrow began to fail and I became dependent on transfusions to keep me alive. And honestly, that's what will take me in. My body's inability to fight infections and produce red blood cells and platelets. It has made things extremely difficult. Quality of life is poor."
• So many have followed your battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma and have sent you messages of kindness. What has this meant to you?
  
  • "The outpouring of love has been nothing next to incredible. I'm often left in tears reading and responding to messages from people on the internet who have said I made an impact on their lives with my kindness. I feel strongly about cultivating a very positive attitude around me because of my disease. And I think asking people things like, tell me something good that happened to you is a gateway to kindness and love and just listening to people who want to share the good things in their life. You'll be surprised to hear that people don't want to be miserable on the internet, they just think it's cool to be snarky. But if you really ask them deep down, they want to be loved."
• This past weekend the Lions, Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers and Spartans all put a #FATURDAY message on their scoreboards. What was your reaction to this?
  
  • "I cried like a baby. I still cant believe the outpouring of love and support I've received."
• What do you hope your legacy is? How would you like to encourage others to live?
  
  • "I have the simplest message: love one another. Be kind to others. Listen to your friends when they're struggling. If you see a stranger down and out, ask them how they're doing. Don't assume you know what everyone is going through.
    But above all, find happiness. It's important and sounds so attainable, but we forget. Being miserable makes for an awful life. Be better. Find something out there that makes you smile, find someone. It doesn't have to be work — it can be food, your kids, sports."