After a seven-year battle with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Akhil Jhaveri died from complications from the disease Saturday.
The 52-year-old Ridgefield man and his family endeared themselves to the local community through his fight against ALS. That support was most recently on display during an honorary wedding ceremony in July, where Akhil got to see his daughters — Ashley, 25, Corinne, 23, and Jordan, 18 — share “vows” of the traits they would want in a partner in the future.
Laura Jhaveri, Akhil’s wife, shared marital advice she picked up from their marriage. The couple’s 30th anniversary was Monday.
Laura mentioned that Akhil might have been holding onto life in hopes of experiencing one more anniversary, since he enjoyed them so much.
“He made them all special,” she said of their anniversaries. “It was always an important day to him. None of them in particular stand out above the others, but he was just always romantic and thoughtful about things like that.”
In July, doctors told the Jhaveri family that Akhil had weeks to live. At one point, Laura asked Akhil what he was holding on for. Unable to speak, Akhil used his eyes to spell, through a computer, the word “wedding.” Akhil then communicated that the wedding had to do with their daughters. In just nine days, with the help of the Ridgefield community, the Jhaveris were able to host a ceremony in late July that mimicked a wedding.
Vintage Gardens in Ridgefield hosted the wedding, and community members and businesses pitched in food, drinks and much more. Ashley, the oldest daughter, said the ceremony could act as a nice memory if any of the daughters do marry in the future.
“I didn’t realize how important it was for my dad to be at my wedding,” Ashley told The Columbian in late July. “We planned it in a week, so there was no time to process through any of it. As we started walking down the aisle, I realized that if I do get married, I’ll get to take this whole ceremony with me, and he’ll be there.”
Laura explained that Akhil’s death brought sadness and a sense of loss, but also that she felt a sense of relief that the journey with ALS had ended, and that she was looking forward to a new beginning.
“Because of my faith, I can have peace right now,” Laura said. “I know he’s in heaven rejoicing and that his body is whole again. I can find joy in that for him.”
Laura mentioned that Akhil’s spontaneity and sense of humor were two of her favorite things about him. He could make anything funny, even his battle with ALS. His daughters liked to mention how he could make mundane things fun such as sockball, a game where the kids competed to see who could pair newly laundered socks the fastest.
“He was really focused on leaving the world a better place,” Laura said. “And I think he did that by example through fighting this disease.”
You Can Help
• In lieu of flowers, the Jhaveris are taking donations for their youngest daughter Jordan’s college fund. She will attend the University of Portland and major in electrical engineering, like Akhil, who was an engineer. Donations can be made by check to Bank of America with the account number 138124865077 in the memo field, and mailed to Bank of America, 7407 N.E. Highway 99, Vancouver, WA 98665.
