A B.C. nurse has been identified as one of the four Canadians killed in an avalanche in the Annapurna region of Nepal.
Jan Rooks worked as a cardiology nurse at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
The Children’s Heart Network sent a letter to members this evening saying,
Jan loved so many people and so many people loved her. She never failed to look on the positive side of life and she lived life so fully every day, always giving of herself to everyone around her and absorbing all of the wonderful things that life has to offer. She was a great nurse with a very special love of heart children and families, and she had a special gift for putting people at ease in the most difficult situations and giving comfort to children and families during times when they needed it most. It seems impossible that someone like Jan can be gone from our lives in the blink of an eye. She will be so sadly missed.
Rooks travelled to Nepal with her husband Grant Tomlinson and friends Stella Cockett, a fellow cardiology nurse clinician at BC Children’s, and her husband, Paul.
Grant, Stella and Paul are all believed to be okay and are still in Nepal.
Rooks and her husband shared a love of the natural world and loved trekking in mountains all over the world and set off to Nepal in late September.
WATCH: Four Canadians are among those who died in a series of deadly blizzards and avalanches in Nepal
The death toll from the avalanche now stands at 27. About 70 people are still missing, including another B.C. who was hiking the Annapurna Mountains when the slides came down.
Twenty-nine-year-old Matt Adams contacted his wife last Friday, hadn’t heard from him for nearly a week. His family was extremely worried – but late Thursday night, they received word that Adams was safe.
The route, 160 kilometres (100 miles) northwest of the capital, Kathmandu, was filled with international hikers because October is peak trekking season. There were also many Nepalese on the trails because of local festivals.
With files from the Associated Press
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