It is with a heavy heart that I write that Evan Spirito passed away on Wednesday, November 2nd. Dr. Shaw (Alice) was kind enough to call me yesterday with the sad news.
When I logged onto my blog today, there were 1311 hits, or views on Wednesday and 534 the next day. That is a bit more traffic than this blog usually sees, and almost all of it was generated by google searches for Evan Spirito (who authored the blog on September 26th). Obviously he touched the lives of many.
Evan was one tough and powerfully optimistic kid. A little over two weeks ago I had emailed Evan wondering if he would like to speak at the Shine A Light vigil in Boston on November 1st. I also told him that I was feeling better. His prompt and (as always) exceptionally courteous response on October 24th gave no indication that things were going poorly;
Hi Linnea,
If life were fair, and lung cancer not such a vicious disease, twenty-four year olds wouldn’t die from lung cancer. My heart goes out to his family and his lovely girlfriend and also to Dr. Shaw, who had known Evan since he was diagnosed at the age of twenty-one and who respected and cared for him deeply.
Evan Spirito
SPIRITO, EVAN B., 24, died Wednesday at home surrounded by his family and friends after a valiant three year struggle with lung cancer. A lifelong resident of Providence, he was the beloved son of Anthony and Susan (Baybutt) Spirito. Evan was a graduate of Henry Barnard, Gordon School, Moses Brown and Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Co. At Moses Brown he played football, hockey and lacrosse. At Colorado College he majored in economics and played football and lacrosse. Following his graduation from college, he remained in Colorado working as a ski instructor at Vail. Evan loved team sports and spending his summers with his cousins at his grandmother’s home in Mattapoisett, MA. Besides his parents he leaves a sister: Mia Spirito and his longtime girlfriend, Anne Fallon both of Providence. He also leaves his grandmothers: Nancy Baybutt of Mattapoisett and Ernestine Spirito of Hillside, NJ; aunts (Dawn, Jamie, Mary Lou, Sue, and Kathy), uncles (John, Michael, Tim, and Fred) and cousins (Britta, Celia, Brad, Tom, Andy, Will, Gabriella and Sam). He was the grandson of the late Anthony Spirito, M.D. and Richard Baybutt. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday at 11am in Grace Episcopal Church, 145 Mathewson St. Providence. In lieu of flowers, donation in his memory may be made to the Evan Spirito Memorial Fund c/o Anthony Spirito, 297 Wayland Ave, Providence, RI 02906. Condolences may be left at monahandrabblesherman.comPublished in The Providence Journal on November 4, 2011
*I should add that Evan was no longer on the LDK378 trial, having returned to traditional chemo some weeks ago after progression.
life and breath: outliving lung cancer 