Jack and Kim Evans - Richmond Honoree
2019 IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's
Kim and Jack Evans were two peas in a pod. Both outgoing and social, gregarious hand-shakers active in their community. As a couple, they loved meeting new people, and when they were alone, never had a fight. Ask Kim about her favourite memories of Jack and she’ll narrow it down to “every day” of their 26-year marriage.
“I think ‘soul mate’ is an over-used term, but we really were in sync,” Kim says.
The two were married later than most – Jack at 54 and Kim 36, an age difference that Kim knew from the outset of their relationship may leave her alone later in life. “I had never been married before because I was looking for him and it took a long time to find him,” she says.
When Jack, a fit man who spent his life playing sports, including slow pitch for Canada for several years, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Kim went through a period of denial and frustration before reaching out for help. She eventually contacted Krista Frazee, Alzheimer Society of B.C. Regional Manager for Vancouver – Richmond.
“Krista was graceful and incredibly empathetic,” says Kim, who doesn’t have family in Vancouver for support. “She said, ‘This is what’s going to happen. Here’s what you can do and you’re not alone.’”
Eventually, Jack was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that would later take his life.
Kim’s message to other caregivers is to share the diagnosis with their friends and tell them what kind of support they can provide. For Kim, that meant buying pairs of baseball tickets for Jack and his friends, making it easy for them to spend quality time together doing something they loved. It was easy to take care of Jack throughout their difficult journey because, Kim says, Jack was such a good dude.
“Right up until the end he had his humour and he loved me. He loved me in the way that I needed to be and felt loved.”
Walk with Jack and Kim at the Richmond IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's on Sunday, May 5. Together, we make memories matter.