Evans Family

I am beginning my scars project with the Evans family. My goal with this project is to show that although we all have scars, there are some beautiful, good and even funny things that can arise from the pain.

Matt Evans and son, Gray Evans, have two very different scars. Matt is now 35, but at just 19-years-old he was told he had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Evans began treatment during his freshman year of college, but he wanted to continue having a college experience. On the other hand, when Gray was just 16-months-old, his parents were told he needed surgery to fix a hernia located in his stomach. The two graciously went shirtless for a photoshoot to examine the differences in their scars and experiences.

Matt Evans, 35, in roofing sales from Bloomfield, Michigan, holds his son, Gray Evans, 5, a Kindergartener from Pooler, Ga in their home in Pooler, Georgia. Matt Evans' scar is from a port that was implanted during treatments for Hodgkin's lymphoma at 19 years old. Gray Evans got his scar when he was 16 months old and needed surgery to fix a hernia.
Matt Evans, 35, in roofing sales from Bloomfield, Michigan, holds his son, Gray Evans, 5, a kindergartener from Pooler, Georgia in their home in Pooler, Georgia. Matt Evans’ scar is from a port that was implanted during treatments for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at 19 years old. Gray Evans got his scar when he was 16-months-old and needed surgery to fix a hernia.

“Gray had lots of stomach issues as a child, and we discovered that he was born with two hernias, and one was a medial hernia, that was causing some of his bowel obstructions. And so we had it fixed and he wasn’t constipated anymore, which is good, because we remember one night, Matt, all he wanted to do was watch Michigan-Notre Dame, and instead we were dealing with a fussy, constipated baby. And he had to go to Walmart and buy suppositories, latex gloves, and Vaseline. So he definitely went to self-checkout. After the surgery there was no more need for that stuff. That was great, haha!” Cindy Evans, Gray’s mother.

Gray Evans, 5, a kindergartener from Pooler, Georgia, points to a scar made when he was just 16 months old from surgery to correct his hernia. A second hernia beneath his belly button may require surgery as well.
Gray Evans, 5, a kindergartener from Pooler, Georgia, points to a scar made when he was just 16-months-old from surgery to correct his hernia. A second hernia beneath his belly button may require surgery as well.

“I got my scar through chemotherapy, it was for Hodgkin’s Disease. They had to insert a port, which was a little hard grape-looking thing with a wire connecting to a larger vein, so they didn’t tear up my arms for chemotherapy. So they did surgery- inserted the port. When I finished chemo they did surgery again, cut it open, took out the port, and I could keep it as a souvenir. During chemo, I was 19-years-old, freshman in college, I set up my chemotherapies on Mondays, two weeks apart so I was feeling crumby for a couple days, but I was always feeling well enough when Friday came around to go to college towns and party with my friends. And they gave me the nickname of, “’portin’.” They’d say, “Evans, you’re ‘portin’.” Because I had a port,”  Matt Evans.

Matt Evans, 35, in roofing sales from Bloomfield, Michigan, says that the implanted port was about the size of a grape and stayed just beneath his skin during chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The doctos also used four small black tattoos, one that is shown, in a diamond formation around the targeted area for radiation.
Matt Evans, 35, in roofing sales from Bloomfield, Michigan, says that the implanted port was about the size of a grape and stayed just beneath his skin during chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The doctors also used four small black tattoos, one that is shown, in a diamond formation around the targeted area for radiation.