Walking for Jane

Life is fragile. This occurs to me every now and again, but especially when I hear about someone I know passing away. That happened recently and, as usual, I have a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

In this case, I read the news on Facebook. A local TV station reported on Monday that Jane Rodgers—a longtime Butte College nutrition instructor—was killed in a head-on collision on Highway 99 near Biggs on Friday. I saw the post at the end of a long day at the office, and sat there stunned. And I remain deeply saddened, as do so many others in the community, by this terrible news.

In addition to teaching at the community college, Jane worked through Far Northern Regional Center to provide nutrition counseling to the agency’s clients. That’s how I knew her. She set up dietary plans for my medically fragile toddler son, Henry, who has Down syndrome and was born premature. Every couple of months, Jane would come into our home and check on his progress growth-wise and adjust his caloric intake.

Jane was extremely thorough. So thorough, in fact, that my husband and I always made sure we tweaked our schedules—accommodating for a session of an hour and a half for what was supposed to be an hour-long meeting. And while her job was somewhat clinical, Jane was warm and funny. She was sharp, too. I liked her a lot.

According to California Highway Patrol reports, a large truck heading southbound drifted into the northbound lane near Rio Bonito Road and struck her small Honda sedan. Jane died at the scene. She was 58 years old. I’m sure her loved ones, as I do, want to know what exactly happened. An investigation is ongoing. In the meantime, dozens of people have posted comments on Facebook. Jane was obviously a beloved Butte College faculty member and much appreciated for her work with Far Northern clients.

I’ll be thinking about her this Saturday, May 17, while I’m at Bidwell Park for the Buddy Walk. For the uninitiated, the Buddy Walk—started in 17 cities by the National Down Syndrome Society back in 1995—is the one of the leading Down syndrome advocacy events in the nation. It’s grown to more than 250 walks annually, and is being held locally for the first time this year.

Online registration for the Buddy Walk ended a few weeks ago, but the community is still encouraged to participate. For more info, look up Chico Buddy Walk on Facebook. Event organizers will have a few extra T-shirts to sell on the morning of the walk and there’s going to be a silent auction and vendor booths. I actually missed the deadline myself, but I’ll be there, along with other members of the local Down syndrome community. I’ll be walking for Henry. I’ll be walking for Jane, too.