I am Ashlynn Brooke Carol Evans—Brooke after Brooke Shields and Carol after my grandmother, Nancy Carol Evans.

If you are reading this, then obviously, I am on the other side of this never-ending journey. I took my last breath on May 29 at 6:35 p.m., surrounded by and held in the arms of my parents, William Timothy Evans and Chandra Rouse Evans, who deserve the highest award any child could give to their parents. The way they cared for me and loved me surely kept me in this world a little longer.

My mom was my rock and my refuge. She covered me with love in ways I cannot describe, and if there was any luck or blessing given to me in this life, it was her.

My dad was Superman to me. He could fix almost anything and always came to my rescue when I needed him.

I'm also survived by my brother, Timothy Ryan Evans, who was always better than I was and will never know just how much I loved him. His witty nature and general brotherly annoyance added happiness to my life. We were very different, but that never changed the love this older sister had for him. To my two nephews, Waylon Timothy and Axel Jameson Evans, ages 9 and 5: you'll never know the joy and pride I felt for you. I cherished every second spent with those boys.

Also, my great Aunt Nancy Rouse-Nossoff, thank you for always thinking of me and sending me thoughtful gifts. And to my great Aunt Betty Jo Dalton, thank you for your loving support. My Aunt Donna, I so appreciate your presence in my life and thank you for showing me another way of looking at life.

And of course, my best friend, who happened to be a cat—Nala. She gets an honorary mention because she deserves it. I believe she was born just for me.

My grandmothers who preceded me in death were Pamela Collier and Nancy Evans, my Mimi. She was everything to me, and I am overjoyed to be with her again. I was not myself without her.

Against the odds, I made it to the ripe old age of 34. Sometimes I was grateful for that, and other times not so much.

Life was hard—much harder than anyone besides my immediate family and closest friends knows. But I found joy in several things that I want to share with you because what most people knew of me was the last 23 years spent inside hospital walls. When I wasn't there, life wasn't so bad.

Books were among my favorite things. The Harry Potter series was my absolute favorite. I read all eight books at least six times and owned five different editions on my bookshelf. Those stories carried me to another world that I somehow related to. Magical. The movies were watched countless times, but if I had to guess, it was probably 50 times or more. Hey, I had the time.

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were my second and third favorites.

My dad and I watched all of those movies every autumn and at least once more each year. It was our thing, and I treasured sharing them with him. He could never remember what happened in the movies, so it was like watching them with him for the first time every single time. I complained about that a lot and rolled my eyes, but secretly it made me laugh.

Sugar was my favorite food group.

Cupcakes were a consistent part of my diet, and Gigi's Cupcakes are partly to blame. If you wanted to win my heart, bringing me sugar in any form would do it.

Cats. Cats run the world, and I just lived in it. I was perfectly happy with that arrangement.

My cat Nala saved me from despair on many nights. She cuddled me, protected me in her own way, and kept me warm by lying on my chest and around my neck. Sometimes that was annoying, but I never wanted it any other way.

Taylor Swift was my favorite artist. My favorite song she wrote was "The Best Day." I could not have written a song more accurate or descriptive of my life. A close second came only recently: "Into the West" by Annie Lennox.

Both of these songs had a profound effect on me, and I ask that, in honor of my memory, you listen to them both.

Autumn was my favorite season. I counted down the days until it arrived, with all things pumpkin spice, spooky, and colorful leaves.

Things I didn't like included the cold, bugs of any kind, dirt, and change. Especially change. I did not like change of any kind. If my legs had worked and weren't paralyzed, there would have been much foot-stomping because change was inevitable, and I fought it valiantly.

I'll end this with two of my favorite quotes and a farewell.

"Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light."

"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it... white shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise."

Thank you to all of my family and friends who loved me. You made this harsh life better.

Farewell to this world.

I'll see you just over the horizon, toward the West.

With love,

Ashlynn Brooke Carol Evans
1991–2026