Portrait
In Courage

 

The Terry Evanshen story is terrible and wonderful, full of devastation but also full of hope.

As a young man, Evanshen was a wide receiver in the Canadian Football League in the late 1960s and early '70s. Undersized but fearless, Evanshen starred for Montréal, Calgary, Hamilton and Toronto. The Hamilton native won CFL rookie of the year in 1965, the Grey Cup in 1970 and was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 1984.

"In my first life, I was somebody who came to play every day, and I really maximized every day to its fullest," says Evanshen.

"That's the way I played. I have to be reminded now, that's the way I was, by my wife [Lorraine], who knew me from Day 1."

Evanshen needs to be reminded because, in 1988, a jeep ran a red Light and plowed into his vehicle, nearly killing the retired star and starting a decade-long spiral for Evanshen and his family, his wife and three young daughters.

Evanshen was in a coma for weeks. When he finally emerged, he had no memory. None. He didn't know his family, didn't recognize his friends... he didn't remember how to turn on the TV or kiss his wife or catch a football. He had to re-learn everything, step by painstaking step. For years, Evanshen says he was angry and basically not a pleasant person to be around. It was tough on him, it was tough on his family. "Sometimes I'm sad when I think, 'Was I that bad?'," Evanshen says. "And someone tells me, 'Yeah, you were: And then we laugh about it. The fact that we can Laugh, which I didn't do for a Long time ... it's like, 'OK, we're here today, so let's enjoy life today to its fullest:"

The rehabilitation, both physical and emotional, took years. In truth, it's still ongoing. It's been a long trial for the Evanshen family, and they've decided to share their draining yet uplifting experience in The Man Who Lost Himself: The Terry Evanshen Story.

"There is hope," Evanshen says. "If you find a reason to find hope, how do you maximize that moment and who's there to guide you if you're. going wrong? Family, I'd say, is No.1; they're your best friends. If they love you, they'll make sure you try to stay on Line. There is hope at the end of the tunnel."

The Man Who Lost Himself: The Terry Evanshen Story - stars David James Elliot (JAG), Wendy Crewson (Sex Traffic) and Tatum Knight.

 

 

 

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