2025 Alyssa Rotman

In her all-too-brief 41 years, Alyssa accomplished more, experienced more, and loved harder than most could in an eternity. Her strength, her spirit, and her inexhaustible optimism were evident every day.

The first of three daughters to parents, Loretta Attardo and Ralph Rotman, Alyssa was raised in Ralph’s hometown of Marblehead, Massachusetts, bestowing her with love of the ocean from infancy.

Alyssa attended Marblehead schools, and later Dana Hall School in Wellesley, where she built some of her most enduring friendships. The school fostered her adventurous spirit, unique skillsets, and her love of trying new sports. Most importantly, it cultivated her passion for architecture, where she shined by combining her talents in art, design, and mathematics.
At just 17 years old, Alyssa received the first (of several) devastating cancer diagnoses and news of a genetic disorder that would alter the course of her future. She overcame major surgery the summer before she entered Syracuse University as a freshman. Several years later she battled breast cancer and then a rare neuroendocrine cancer. Instead of allowing these challenges to define her, Alyssa channeled her life energy into carpe diem and ‘warrior’ modes.

At Syracuse Alyssa earned a five-year bachelor’s degree in architecture – one of Syracuse’s most challenging academic programs. Her studies took her to Florence, Italy, for a life‑changing semester abroad. The semester was filled with Alyssa‑style adventures—including skydiving and even getting a car stuck on a mountain pass in a blizzard with rescue by the Swiss police!

Channeling her own healthcare experiences, Alyssa spoke at MIT genetics classes taught by her doctor. She dedicated her professional career to healthcare architecture, leveraging her “insider” expertise to design optimal spaces for patients and caregivers alike. Her recent projects included the Brigham Emergency Department and the new 1.5 million square foot MGH Ragon Building housing the Cancer Center and Heart Center. She was deeply supported by her NBBJ architecture colleagues including the construction crew at MGH who inscribed ‘Stay Strong Alyssa Rotman’ on a steel beam that will forever remain in the new building. Alyssa wrote entries for her PassItOn.blog, sharing information from her experiences with cancer to provide support for other patients and caregivers.

Alyssa treasured her family and she refused to take a single day for granted. She said ‘yes’ to everything—friends, concerts, events, restaurants, experiences, and most meaningfully, travel. In her short 41 years, Alyssa explored more than 25 countries, as well as countless U.S. states and national parks. She was a true foodie, a fashionista, and had an eye for beauty that she captured with her camera. Even in her final days, Alyssa was planning bucket‑list adventures and Michelin‑star restaurant reservations—a true testament to her optimism and outlook.
Throughout her life, and especially highlighted in her final years, Alyssa will be remembered as an incredible daughter, sister, aunt, dog mom, niece, cousin, and friend. She will be remembered for her fighting spirit, her intelligence, and her artistic eye. She will be remembered for finding ways to give back and to pass on her strength. Most importantly, she will be remembered for her style, her grace, her bravery, and for the way she continued to keep looking forward, cherishing every moment.

CARPE DIEM, ALYSSA!

To support high-caliber research capable of transforming the Neuroendocrine Tumor landscape, a Tribute Fund in memory of Alyssa has been established with the NEUROENDOCRINE TUMOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION.