Anne Fallon and her boyfriend, Evan Spirito (pictured here), were only 21 years old when Evan was diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Anne took a semester off from college to be with Evan during his first round of chemotherapy at the Mass General Cancer Center. She helped care for Evan along with his parents, Susan and Tony, and his sister Mia.
Eventually Evan transferred his care to the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver, where he and Anne could complete their degrees at Colorado College. When he relapsed and resumed treatment at Mass General, Anne returned to Massachusetts with him. She cared for Evan while he was at home and during his extended hospital stays.
Evan died at age 24, surrounded by his loved ones, including Anne. After his death, Anne helped to found the Evan Spirito Memorial Foundation. Reflecting Evan’s values, its dual mission is to provide scholarship aid to students in need who demonstrate sportsmanship, character and concern for others, and to support lung cancer research.
Anne helped to organize a golf tournament that raised $50,000 to support the research of Evan’s oncologist at Mass General, Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD. She then recruited a team to join her in a grueling Spartan Race at Fenway Park. Her team garnered more than 130 sponsors and raised $10,000 more to support Dr. Shaw’s research.
Anne’s ongoing devotion is an inspiration to Evan’s family and friends.
