How sad I new Karen a very nice person
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 26, 2020, at 4:56 PM, Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This article discusses the daughter of Karen Evans (I think she used to be
Jerry Such's wife), who is blind and in a nursing home.
Steve
Okemos native visits mom through window during pandemic By Kara Berg Lansing
State Journal
STERLING HEIGHTS Deborah Parsons can't wait to hug her mother again. The
Okemos native just hopes that day comes before her mother forgets who Parsons
is. Parsons' mother, Karen Evans, has Alzheimer's and is living at an
assisted living home in Sterling Heights. Evans and Parsons have stayed
apart, as both are especially vulnerable to the novel coronavirus. "Every day
we lose a little more of her," Parsons said. "What's going to be left of her
when I can hold her again? She may not know who I am. Evans is also blind.
They can't video chat like many friends and family members have been doing to
stay connected during Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay home order. Instead,
Parsons and her family had a short visit with her mother outside her window.
Evans couldn't see they were there, but she could hear them, Parsons said.
"Mom, I'm right here," Parsons said in the video. "My hand is right in front
of your face. Evans pressed her hand to the window in front of her face, just
a few inches from Parson's hand. Parsons was so close to the window her
breath kept fogging the glass. The experience was emotional, Parsons said.
She tries not to think about what her mother is missing when they talk, but
it's hard when she knows her mom sees with her hands, not her eyes. Evans
doesn't recall much about the pandemic, Parsons said. She has to frequently
explain to her mother why they can't see each other in person. Parsons lives
in Sterling Heights and used to visit her mother at Burcham Hills in East
Lansing when she brought her daughter to visit her father in Lansing. But
once her daughter graduated high school, the drive to East Lansing wasn't
practical anymore. Now, Evans lives at an assisted living facility in
Sterling Heights, close enough for Parsons to visit every day if she wants
to, she said. She's glad she's not at Burcham Hills anymore, as Evans lived
on the third floor. A visit like the one she recorded would not have been
possible there. "You know you're going to lose a little piece of her every
day, so I want to make sure I have every day with her," Parsons said. Evans
worked at St. Lawrence Hospital before it became a part of Sparrow Health
Systems. She lived in Greater Lansing for most of her life. "It's
heartbreaking that she went from this incredibly strong, brilliant person, to
this," Parsons said. "I know it's what Alzheimer's does, but it's really hard.
