Evan’s Legacy
Evan lit up every room he chose to enter. He was a friend to everyone and was as funny as he was kind. He was the best big brother we could ever have hoped for. He loved school, especially math, engineering, and languages. Outside the classroom, he was deeply involved in marching band.
Just one week after attending his freshman-year homecoming dance, he was diagnosed with Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) on October 13, 2023, after losing his ability to walk and experiencing a complete loss of sensation and perception on the left side of his body.
Evan could no longer do many of the things he loved, the things that gave him joy and made him who he was. Still, he was determined to fight back and take control of his life so that he could live it the way he wanted. Through a biopsy, multiple therapies, and medications, he regained almost all of his abilities. Evan was overjoyed when he returned to the marching band field and completed the entire season, which culminated in a halftime performance at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Stadium during his high school’s state championship victory.
He nearly made it all the way through his sophomore year before the symptoms returned, and he went to be with the Lord in May of 2025. His family, friends, and community still talk about him and how hard he fought his battle. Evan’s last written message on his dad’s classroom whiteboard tells you everything you need to know about how he lived his life and how he faced his end on this earth:
“I will endure.”
Our Donation Story
During his journey, Evan also relied on his unwavering faith in God to see him through his trials. He was adamant that he was not scared for what was to come, but he was still sorry for the impact that his passing would have on his family and friends. Right up until the end, he was steadfast in his wish that his tissue should be donated for research so that other kids would have a chance at a better quality of life, just like he did for 18 months.
After Evan was diagnosed, The Cure Starts Now was a constant source of support and strength for him and our family. Now that he’s in heaven, that support has not stopped, it has grown. Evan mentioned many times that he hoped that his battle and his journey could have a silver lining and that one day, it could help another child who was given such a grave diagnosis as he was. One of his final wishes was that his family and friends would make a donation to The Cure Starts Now in lieu of flowers at his calling hours and we will continue to support them and the work that they do to find a cure. We’ll do it for kids who we’ve never met and we’ll do it in honor of our Evan.
