Evans: 'She's a giving person and a helping person'

MONTREAL - Jake Evans will be celebrating his favorite healthcare hero on Mother's Day.

And he won't have to go very far to bring her flowers because he's been living under her roof again during the NHL pause.

Evans' mother, Marilyn, is a family physician with a practice in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. She isn't seeing any patients in person right now, but doing phone check-ups as needed with those who schedule appointments.

So what does Evans and his older brother, Matt, have on tap to show their mother some love? Apparently, there's quite a feast being planned on Sunday night, and she won't have to lift a finger.

"We're going to get a nice bottle of Rosé, and then we're going to cook her a nice dinner," revealed Evans. "I'm thinking steak and seafood. We're going to give her some time to relax."

It's a well-deserved treat for a woman who helped raise and supports two very successful sons - Jake, a University of Notre Dame grad who made his NHL debut this season, and Matt, a Wilfrid Laurier University alum and a corporate bond trader with Scotiabank's Global Banking and Markets division in New York City.

But this year the Evans boys are paying an extra special tribute to her service because healthcare workers everywhere - whether on the front lines battling the COVID-19 pandemic or not - merit a standing ovation.

"It's kind of like hockey for me in a way, she just loves what she does. She's a giving person and a helping person, and she wants to help as many people as she can. She really enjoys what she does and just giving back to everyone," praised Evans, who wholeheartedly appreciates his mother's commitment to her profession. "That's what I admire most about her, how giving she is and how caring she is of others. It's hard times for everyone, even for her, but she's still focused on helping others and helping people in the community."

Displaying that trademark selflessness and kindness has always earned her hero status in Evans' eyes.

He simply can't say enough about her willingness to often put the needs of others ahead of her own.

"She does so much for me, for all of our friends, and all of her patients. She's just always there for them, always talking to them. I know she reaches out to all these people, even now, making sure they're doing well and giving them comfort," mentioned Evans. "She actually just bought a bunch of food for everyone at her office. She's used to doing stuff like that, even in these tough times."

With character traits like that, it should come as no surprise that Evans' mother is popular among her patients.

The 23-year-old Canadiens forward gets real confirmation every December.

"I'd say you can see how much people like her because at Christmas time she gets an absurd amount of gifts to bring home. She gets a lot of bottles of wine coming in," said Evans with a laugh. "I love it. It's nice knowing that people respect and appreciate your mother. I know how hard she works and how much she cares. When she has people giving back to her, it's nice to see."

But healthcare heroes like Marilyn don't perform their duties to earn praise and receive gifts.

It's a calling that pushes medical practitioners to do everything conceivably possible to help their fellow citizens.

And with a doctor for a mother, Evans knows that first-hand.

"It's their time to shine. You definitely see them in a new light. You see how strong they are. They're all very confident in what they're doing, and they're the ones that we all look up to. They all just want to help and just want to stop this thing," concluded Evans. "You never want this stuff to happen, but you definitely feel good knowing that you've got someone like my mom that's ready to help out and do whatever she can to help the community."