Audrey Evans, world-renowned Philadelphia pediatric oncologist and cofounder of Ronald McDonald House, has died at 97

The children coming to Dr. Audrey Evans half a century ago for cancer treatment at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia were dying at rates much higher than today — and they were often alone while seeking specialized care far from home.

In 1974, the British pediatric oncologist came up with a solution when she cofounded the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia. She envisioned a homelike setting where families could live together while their child received treatment.

“The center of treatment of a child with cancer is the family. A family with a sick child is a sick family,” Dr. Evans said in a 2018 interview with the CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia Region. “You must remember the family.”

Today, there are Ronald McDonald Houses in over 375 locations in 45 countries, according to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia Region.

The Ronald McDonald House was among the many achievements of Evans, who died at age 97 on Thursday, Sept. 29, in her Philadelphia home, according to a statement from the charity. The cause was not disclosed.

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Evans was born in York, England, and began her medical education in the United Kingdom. She moved to the United States in the 1950s, coming to Philadelphia in 1969 as the chief of pediatric oncology at CHOP.

Her work led to breakthrough advancements in diagnosis and treatment for neuroblastoma, a cancer of immature nerve cells, that resulted in significant declines in children’s mortality rates. She also conducted pioneering research on radiation and chemotherapy. She worked closely with Giulio D’Angio, a radiation oncologist, and they were married in 2005.

Evans always wanted to make the children in her care happy. She brought to the hospital a floor-to-ceiling birdcage filled with growing trees and about 20 finches, which subsequently multiplied with the hatching of finch chicks.

The birds disgusted hospital administrators, she recalled in the Ronald McDonald House 2018 interview.

“Oh, ugh, how awful. Birds! Birds?” she said, laughing as she imitated their reactions. But she knew management did not like coming to the oncology floor, because it was emotionally difficult for them to see sick children. She kept the birds and even allowed patients to bring their pets. One brought his bunny.

Evans knew that pets weren’t enough, which led her to establish the Ronald McDonald House in collaboration with the Philadelphia Eagles and McDonald’s. The first house was on the University of Pennsylvania campus. This operation has since moved to 3925 Chestnut St. in West Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia house expanded to provide more services over the years, including an overnight summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings. “She really wanted kids to be able to be kids,” said Susan Campbell, CEO of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia Region.

It continues to serve families, and Campbell says that current residents can still feel Evans’ spirit through the efforts of staff and volunteers to make families feel at home.

Diana Kelly and her husband, Sean, live in Monmouth County, N.J., roughly a 90-minute drive from CHOP. They’ve stayed at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House for a total of 200 days since their son, Magnus Aodhan Kelly, was born Nov. 14, 2021, with a rare heart defect, called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), which affects blood flow to his heart.

Their son, now 10 months old, had his first open-heart surgery just two days after he was born. He’ll likely need a heart transplant in the near future, she said.

“Without the Ronald McDonald House, I don’t think it would have been possible for us to be present at our son’s bedside as much as we were,” said Diana Kelly, 37, adding that the couple refers to the house as “our home away from home.”

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After retiring in 2009, Evans attended a meeting at the Church of St. James the Less, a historic institution in North Philadelphia, at which the community discussed opening a new school on an abandoned property nearby. One community member after the other voiced concerns that it couldn’t be done.

Evans stood up and said in a British accent, “Let’s get on with it,” said Dave Kasievich, who became the founding head of school of St. James School.

In 2011, Evans cofounded the tuition-free, private Episcopalian school.

Kasievich described Evans as a visionary who also would pull up her sleeves to get work done. She washed dishes, folded laundry, took children to the bathroom.

“Nothing was too dirty or too messy,” Kasievich said.

In the 2018 interview, Evans described how she hoped future generations would remember her as “a woman who cared.”

Her words were echoed by those who worked with her. Campbell, the Ronald McDonald House CEO, described Evans as a holistic practitioner: “She really believed in the infectious power of being kind and caring.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that Dave Kasievich was the founding head of school at St. James School.