Rare blood vessel disorder fatal for Benton 16-year-old

BENTON, Mo. -- Andrea Burford loved Walt Disney movies, sleeping late and making papier-mache in her high school art class.

Her older sister, Audrey Burford, said Andrea also had a very positive outlook, despite suffering from Down's syndrome and pulmonary hypertension, the disorder that finally took her life.

"She smiled at everybody," Audrey Burford said.

Andrea, a 16-year-old junior at Kelly High School in Benton, Mo., died Thursday at St. Louis Children's Hospital after a battle with pulmonary hypertension, a rare blood vessel disorder that causes pressure to rise in the main artery between the heart and the lungs. She was diagnosed with the disorder three years ago after doctors discovered a hole in her heart.

Audrey Burford said the disease left Andrea with very low blood-oxygen levels, often making her too tired to do some things, including walking on her own.

"There were boys in her class that would push her in her wheelchair, and they took really good care of her," Audrey Burford said.

Andrea's good nature made her easy to like, Audrey said.

"She was a little angel to all of us, and she didn't ever meet a person she didn't like," Audrey Burford said.

Andrea Burford is survived by her parents, Paul and Marilyn Burford, and her two older sisters, Audrey and Alana.

Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. today at St. Denis Catholic Church.