BEVIN'S STORY

Bevin Kalathil Varughese was born on September 30, 1979 to Kalathil and Saramma Varughese in Manhasset, NY. As the only brother, he was doted on by both his older sister, Betsy and his younger sister, Bena. Growing up, he was like any other little boy - naughty and playful, with a heart-melting smile that could get him out of any serious trouble. Bevin was a cherished son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and uncle. He had an affectionate presence about him and wherever Bevin was, others were always drawn to him. With a contagious laughter and witty grin, Bevin could brighten anyone’s day. As a young man with a countless number of friends - he became a chosen brother to many of them. He graduated from Herricks High School and obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Real Estate from Temple University in Pennsylvania.

After about a month of suffering from what appeared to be a stubborn cold and exhaustion, his world as he knew it was turned upside down. In late January of 2004, Bevin was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) nearly four months after turning 24. An utter disbelief came over himself, his family and friends. Bevin had always been the epitome of good health and to be given this devastating news when he was about to embark into the world of young adulthood was simply unbelievable. Bevin remained strong and refused to let this disease get the best of him and he vowed to fight like he had never fought before. Bevin battled his ALL diagnosis with the strength and bravery of an entire army of soldiers. After extensive chemotherapy treatments, he achieved complete remission in April of 2004. Although his treatment plan at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center called for many more months of grueling chemotherapy after remission, he lived his life to the fullest as a happy, loving and generous individual who never saw his ALL diagnosis as a setback, but rather as a gift to truly appreciate what mattered in life. He relied on his faith and the overwhelming love and compassionate support of so many individuals around him to get through this obstacle he was given and to overcome his illness. During his time of diagnosis, he searched and searched and he realized that there were not enough resources available to someone newly diagnosed with leukemia, especially amongst the South Asian Community. He was frustrated and so came his vision with the help of his friends to establish The South Asian Cancer Foundation (SACF) that would strive to address the need to raise the awareness of leukemia with a focus on the South Asian Community. Bevin always thought of others and wanted to make sure no one in his same predicament in the future would feel the same sense of frustration that he encountered at the time of his initial diagnosis. During his time in remission, besides establishing the SAC Foundation, Bevin was able to accomplish many other things; he pursued a career alongside his father, relished his time spent with family and friends, traveled whenever given an opportunity, attended many milestone events for friends and family, hosted fundraisers to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) and The South Asian Cancer Foundation, raised funds for and participated in the LLS Light The Night Walk, and organized blood and bone marrow drives for other patients in need. Bevin finished his maintenance treatment towards the end of 2006 and there was still no indication of the leukemia present anywhere in his body. To celebrate the final end to his chemotherapy treatment, he jumped on a plane to Italy and felt victorious as he was eagerly planning the next phase of his life. His doctor was pleased with his progress and Bevin, his family and friends prayed and believed that the worst was over.

In the middle of September, 2007, two weeks before his 28th birthday, Bevin was blindsided for the second time in his life. After leaving from a routine check-up where everything appeared fine, he received a call a few days later and was told that his bone marrow tests indicated that he had relapsed for the first time after being in complete remission for almost 3 ½ years. He insisted that the results were mistaken and even his doctor appeared baffled by the test results. At the time of this routine exam, there was no indication that Bevin had relapsed – his blood counts were favorable, there were no symptoms of a stubborn cold, fatigue or skin that was pale in color similar to when he was initially diagnosed. Unfortunately, he was not mistaken and was told that he would have to undergo extensive chemotherapy again to achieve remission and ultimately undergo a bone marrow transplant to finally be cured of the leukemia. Bevin, who a few months back, was advocating for more individuals to join the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) to help save lives, was now the one who needed a crucial match in order for his life to be saved. Bevin faced the news again remaining brave, determined and hopeful. Bevin’s sisters and entire extended family were tested with no luck as being a viable match for him. At the time, the South Asian population was and still is sadly underrepresented in the database; Bevin’s chances of finding a match were 1 in 20,000. While Bevin was undergoing chemotherapy to achieve remission for the second time in his life; his friends and family with a strong will and determination to find him his life-saving match formed Swab4Bevin with the goal of recruiting as many individuals as possible to register with the NMDP, so that he and other patients had a better chance of finding their match to survive. Bevin was truly humbled and touched by the efforts of many nationwide in trying to find him a match. Again, he achieved remission and was given the gift of time to be able to spend the entire holiday season with his loved ones. Unfortunately, despite all the efforts of Swab4Bevin, still no viable bone marrow match was found for him as he waited patiently at home. His next promising option was to undergo a cord blood transplant once a match was found.

In the middle of January, 2008, he met with the cord blood physician/coordinator who told him the good news that he had a perfect cord blood match and was now eligible to undergo a cord blood transplant in a few weeks. That same day, a few hours later - Bevin was sideswiped again when his oncologist told him at his routine check-up that his blood counts drawn that day indicated he had relapsed for the second time. He was told the transplant would have to be temporarily delayed until he was able to achieve remission for the 3rd time in his life. Bevin faced the news again with his usual composure, strength and courage; this young man never once complained, but was grateful that there was a cord blood match waiting for him and he never once questioned if he would get the opportunity to undergo the cord blood transplant. Bevin was admitted to the hospital that same day to begin chemotherapy and responded well to his treatment, but he never made it home again. On February 6, a few days before his tentative discharge date from the hospital and three days after watching what would be his last Super Bowl, he developed a serious infection due to his body being immunocompromised. His non-existent immune system, due to the chemotherapy administered to him, was not able to fight this internal infection. Within hours, he was surrounded by his entire family, both immediate as well as extended and practically every friend of his from childhood to adulthood whom he loved and who had the honor to call him their brother. Bevin Kalathil Varughese, son, brother, love, and friend to many lost his life within hours, unexpectedly to this opportunistic infection at the young age of 28 after a heroic fight of four years with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on February 7, 2008.

We hope those of you who never had the joy to have met Bevin get a glimpse of who Bevin was after reading this. This was our Bevin, this is our Bevin, and his untimely passing has left his loved ones heartbroken and reeling in disbelief with an emptiness that can never be filled. Bevin touched our hearts and the souls of so many individuals. He is deeply missed and although, physically he is no longer with us, his courageous spirit will forever remain with us as he continues to inspire and influence all those that had the privilege to know him during his fearless journey on earth. Nothing can ever bring back our Bevin physically, but we vow to honor his memory and keep him alive in spirit by fulfilling his dream of helping others affected by this life-altering disease. Through this foundation, we will forever live for Bevin as his ‘soldiers fighting the war against leukemia’.