Barbara and Rowan Ley - Comox Valley Honourees

2021 IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's

Before a colourful crowd of characters stands a man in a bowtie and top hat waiting for his bride. He’s the Mad Hatter and his wife-to-be, a slight woman dressed as Alice, is approaching the altar. It’s a real-life fairy tale. Then the pastor asks for objections to the union.

“Off with their heads!” cries out the Queen of Hearts.

Barbara Ley, a.k.a. Alice, and her husband Rowan, the Mad Hatter, bubble with excitement and break into laughter as they tell the positively magical story of their wedding day. The couple fell in love and got engaged while they were both volunteering at Glacier View Lodge, an assisted living care home in Courtenay. They had both been married before and neither one wanted a traditional wedding, so when a staff member suggested they hold the ceremony at Glacier View, Barbara and Rowan were on board. Soon the event evolved into a costume party with staff and residents all donning Alice in Wonderland-inspired party clothes, including someone dressed as the Queen of Hearts. The later-in-life marriage for Rowan, who has three adult sons, and Barbara, with two daughters, was both a fairy tale and a welcome plot twist in their life stories.

“We made it into theatre!” Barbara says. “It was great for the residents; they don’t usually get that kind of entertainment.”

It’s been 12 years since their Wonderland wedding. Their experiences back then as long-time volunteer support group facilitators and peer counsellors at Glacier View drew them together; these experiences also gave Barbara and Rowan an intimate understanding of dementia, which Barbara now lives with. Following Barbara’s diagnosis, the Leys immediately connected with the Alzheimer Society of B.C. and started attending Minds in Motion®, a fitness and social program for people living with dementia and a care partner. For them, fitness has been key to staying so positive throughout their journey with the disease.

Barbara swims, does yoga and works out for an hour each morning with Rowan. The two also continue to volunteer as support group facilitators.

“I’ve been diagnosed with dementia, but I still don’t feel like it,” Barbara says.

“Never give up hope,” says Rowan, who credits Barbara with giving him a new lease on life. “Don’t deny dementia, but don’t dwell on it either.”

Join Barbara and Rowan this May for the Comox Valley IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's. Together, we make memories matter.