Samantha Sawan only spent a year at Fairfield, but she had affected and inspired those individuals whom she encountered on campus, namely her freshmen roommate, Samantha White.
“Sam had more strength and passion for life than anyone I’ve ever met,” said White. “She was a fighter and lived her short life to the fullest.”
On June 21, the 20-year-old Sawan succumbed to her long battle with cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease that affects the lungs, liver, pancreas and intestines.
After a prolonged hospital stay, Sawan was scheduled to have a lung transplant, the second in her life. She died due to complications during the lung transplant.
Sawan was from Scituate, Mass., and came to Fairfield to experience life as a typical college student, according to her friends.
Sawan and White met during orientation and both decided to become roommates for their first year.
Sawan had aspirations to major in psychology at Fairfield, according to White.
Although White remembers that Sawan had to return home to Massachusetts on weekends, she remembers that her roommate “didn’t use her illness as an excuse or for pity.”
Sawan eventually had to leave Fairfield due to the illness at the beginning of her second semester.
“Though our time living together was cut short, Sam made my first semester a great deal easier,” said White.
Sean Acevedo ’10 knew Samantha when she first attended Fairfield as well, and immediately liked her.
“I met her in September and we shared a lot of laughs and memorable conversations during her short time at school,” Acevedo said. “She was the type of person you always wanted to be around because she just always made you smile and be happy.”
White noted that although she may have been of small stature, Sawan had the ability to influence those around her.
“The news of Sam’s passing was devastating,” said White. “I’ve never met a person so small with such a huge personality.”
Benit John was also a dear friend of Sawan’s at school.
“She was one of my closest friends that I met at Fairfield and we have amazing memories together,” said John.
Considered among Sawan’s closest friends during her stay at Fairfield, White, Acevedo and John said they were all heartbroken to see her have to leave the school she loved.
“It was a sad day when she left school because of her illness,” said Acevedo.
FUSA President Jeff Seiser, former class of 2010 president said that while he did not personally know Sawan, he said Sawan and her battle with the disease will provide an invaluable lesson for the Fairfield community.
“The passing of Samantha Sawan is saddening and acts as a reminder to all of us to be thankful for our health and for the life we have,” said Seiser.
Although White said she had not kept in touch with Sawan as frequently as she would have liked, her passing has been a difficult experience.
“It’s really tough losing someone that you’ve spent so much time with,” she said. “Roommates really do have a special bond that others wouldn’t understand. “I’m going to miss her more than words can describe,” she said.
Sawan’s death marks a third loss for the class of 2010. In September 2007, Kristen Duhamel died in a car accident, and classmate Maureen McAvoy succumbed to a brain tumor in October 2007.
An obituary and guestbook honoring Samantha Sawan can be found on the Patriot Ledger website.
To visit Guest Book, click here.
Donations may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 220 North Main St., Suite 104 Natick, MA 01760 and also the New England Organ Bank.
Leave a Reply