Restaurant Patron Sees How Man Is Treating His Wife, Hands Him This Note (Photo)

A Pennsylvania couple’s meal was paid for because of an amazing demonstration of true love. 

Though Emerson Evelhoch’s wife, Kathy, had “always been a good cook,” the couple had been going out to eat more frequently than usual since she received a devastating diagnosis.

“Her last job was working at the high school library, and she couldn’t put two journals in order, and that’s when we start pursuing the disease,” Emerson told WHP News.

Kathy was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at just 56 years old.

Emerson retired in order to take care of his wife. 

“She’s always been my best friend,” he said. “She still is.”

The couple frequently eats at an Asian restaurant, where Emerson prepares his wife’s meal so that she can properly chew and swallow her food.

“The husband was cutting every piece of the meat in small pieces so [he] could feed her by fork,” Jay Chen, the owner of the restaurant, said. “It was very touching.”

Another couple noticed Emerson’s selfless actions. When the server gave him a receipt instead of a bill toward the end of the meal, there was a note informing him that their meal had been paid for.

“We noticed your loving care of your wife,” the note read. “Being a caregiver can be hard, so we wanted your dinner tonight to be our treat. God bless.”

Emerson said he was grateful for this small blessing in an otherwise hectic life, and for the reminder that many people are willing to look out for one another. 

“Life is stressful,” he said. “This is stressful. It was the perfect time for me to just stop and take a breath and remember how many nice people there are.”

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately 200,000 Americans suffer from early-onset Alzheimer’s. Since doctors don’t typically look for this disease in younger patients, obtaining a diagnosis is often difficult as symptoms are sometimes mistakenly attributed to stress or other disorders.

Sources: WHP News, Alzheimer’s Association / Photo credit: Marco Bellucci/Flickr