Helping Rick and Judy recouperate
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Evan Church was born in Midland, Michigan on May 26,1994 to Richard and Judith (Rick & Judy). They moved to FL in 2003. To know him was to love him. All who love him are heartbroken at his passing on August 31, 2024, at HealthPark Hospital in Ft. Myers, FL.
There are not enough words we can say for how thankful we are that Evan was cared for by the most amazing healthcare workers at the HealthPark ICU. They were all so professional and knowledgeable, while being kind and caring... not just to Evan, but to all the loved ones in the room. (You're fine)
When Evan was a little boy, he loved to run and play as all children do. Sadly, at five years old he received a devastating diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This disease causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. By age nine, Evan was in a wheelchair. He did not let that hold him back too much. He loved being on the Challenger baseball team with his dad as a coach. Evan had a beautiful voice and during his years at Estero High School, he was a singer/soloist in chorus concerts and a talented actor in several plays. He had a voice that projected throughout the entire auditorium.
Evan loved sports and music (mostly rock). He was a huge fan of his town teams; Florida Everblades hockey and men's & women's FGCU basketball. He loved his lifelong teams; the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Vikings, Twins, & Timberwolves. But his most favorite team was the University of Michigan!
Evan had a heart of gold! Despite the enormous challenges he faced every moment, he was always concerned with how you were doing, even up to his last days. The week before his passing, Evan had to have a tracheostomy and feeding tube put in. This was expected to extend his life for several more years. With the trach, Evan's voice could no longer be heard. Hours after the surgery, he was blowing kisses and mouthing "I love you" to his loved ones, and that is a true testament of how caring of a person he was. He remained hopeful and even kept mouthing the words "I'll get there", which was mostly to comfort us, as if we were the ones needing the reassurance. Unfortunately, a week later, Evan developed a lung infection which caused sepsis. He passed shortly after because his weakened body was unable to fight the infection.
Evan's level of inherent selflessness is most definitely influenced by the wonderful and attentive parents who dedicated their lives to him. Due to the level of care that Evan needed, they had to make the decision to put Rick's career on hold, which meant that he could only work part time, and the rest of the time was spent taking care of his son's every need. Judy watched Evan while Rick was away at work, up until her unfortunate diagnosis of Alzheimer's. However, so much of the physical strain was put on Rick because there were numerous times throughout the day in which Evan needed to be physically moved.
As the loving father he is, Rick took on every challenge with Evan's ever-changing healthcare needs, to ensure he had the best quality of life he possibly could. As if things weren't challenging enough for this sweet family, adding Judy's recent diagnosis and memory loss to the list, it was like Rick was balancing his whole world on his shoulders while walking on a tightrope. He has been attentive to both of their needs for a while, even after her move into an assisted living facility.
This was written with the intent to give more insight into who Evan truly was and all the light and joy he brought to everyone around him, but to also highlight the struggles his family has faced for decades. Rick is left now with an empty home and a part time job at age 60, without the financial security to afford the increasing cost of living. If you or someone you know is willing and able to help donate any amount towards helping him, get through until he can get on his feet after facing such a tragic loss. Thank you for taking the time to read this if you got this far
Other ways to contribute-
——— Venmo him at @Richard-Church-10 (You will need last 4 digits of Rick’s phone number which are 3258)
——— or Paypal @RichardChurch10
Evan Church was born in Midland, Michigan on May 26,1994 to Richard and Judith (Rick & Judy). They moved to FL in 2003. To know him was to love him. All who love him are heartbroken at his passing on August 31, 2024, at HealthPark Hospital in Ft. Myers, FL.
There are not enough words we can say for how thankful we are that Evan was cared for by the most amazing healthcare workers at the HealthPark ICU. They were all so professional and knowledgeable, while being kind and caring... not just to Evan, but to all the loved ones in the room. (You're fine)
When Evan was a little boy, he loved to run and play as all children do. Sadly, at five years old he received a devastating diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This disease causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. By age nine, Evan was in a wheelchair. He did not let that hold him back too much. He loved being on the Challenger baseball team with his dad as a coach. Evan had a beautiful voice and during his years at Estero High School, he was a singer/soloist in chorus concerts and a talented actor in several plays. He had a voice that projected throughout the entire auditorium.
Evan loved sports and music (mostly rock). He was a huge fan of his town teams; Florida Everblades hockey and men's & women's FGCU basketball. He loved his lifelong teams; the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Vikings, Twins, & Timberwolves. But his most favorite team was the University of Michigan!
Evan had a heart of gold! Despite the enormous challenges he faced every moment, he was always concerned with how you were doing, even up to his last days. The week before his passing, Evan had to have a tracheostomy and feeding tube put in. This was expected to extend his life for several more years. With the trach, Evan's voice could no longer be heard. Hours after the surgery, he was blowing kisses and mouthing "I love you" to his loved ones, and that is a true testament of how caring of a person he was. He remained hopeful and even kept mouthing the words "I'll get there", which was mostly to comfort us, as if we were the ones needing the reassurance. Unfortunately, a week later, Evan developed a lung infection which caused sepsis. He passed shortly after because his weakened body was unable to fight the infection.
Evan's level of inherent selflessness is most definitely influenced by the wonderful and attentive parents who dedicated their lives to him. Due to the level of care that Evan needed, they had to make the decision to put Rick's career on hold, which meant that he could only work part time, and the rest of the time was spent taking care of his son's every need. Judy watched Evan while Rick was away at work, up until her unfortunate diagnosis of Alzheimer's. However, so much of the physical strain was put on Rick because there were numerous times throughout the day in which Evan needed to be physically moved.
As the loving father he is, Rick took on every challenge with Evan's ever-changing healthcare needs, to ensure he had the best quality of life he possibly could. As if things weren't challenging enough for this sweet family, adding Judy's recent diagnosis and memory loss to the list, it was like Rick was balancing his whole world on his shoulders while walking on a tightrope. He has been attentive to both of their needs for a while, even after her move into an assisted living facility.
This was written with the intent to give more insight into who Evan truly was and all the light and joy he brought to everyone around him, but to also highlight the struggles his family has faced for decades. Rick is left now with an empty home and a part time job at age 60, without the financial security to afford the increasing cost of living. If you or someone you know is willing and able to help donate any amount towards helping him, get through until he can get on his feet after facing such a tragic loss. Thank you for taking the time to read this if you got this far
Other ways to contribute-
——— Venmo him at @Richard-Church-10 (You will need last 4 digits of Rick’s phone number which are 3258)
——— or Paypal @RichardChurch10
Organizer and beneficiary
Jacqueline Rothhammer
Organizer
Three Oaks, FL
Richard Church
Beneficiary