Apparently, John left the house at 2:00 to go see his friend Gerald. But nobody was home.
We'll never know how or why John got on Interstate 80 -- headed West. The thing is, once he took that wrong turn, the die was cast...
He simply drove...and drove...and drove...until he ran out of gas 169 miles away from home. (THANK GOD he didn't have a hybrid vehicle, or he would have ended up in Denver.)
John's truck coasted to a stop at the foot of a rise in the road...he was smack dab in the middle of a very busy 4-lane interstate highway...ugh...
He was at the Newton exit -- in Jasper County, Iowa. The 911 operator received a dozen calls about a Red Toyota truck driving erratically.
Officer Wright arrived on the scene at 6:45. There are hundreds of semi trucks traveling I-80..it was dark, they're going 70 mph, and as all those trucks came up over a little hill -- they had no time to stop when they saw John's red truck. Consequently, the semis were forced to drive on either side of him...careening onto the shoulder. One truck clipped John on the right rear bumper...another truck nearly tipped over as his right wheels bounced off the road...
John had been driving for hours and he was exhausted. He was disoriented and very cold. He couldn't remember how to turn on the heater. When he ran out of gas, the trucks started whizzing by on both sides...all those lights and honking horns...I can only imagine how terrified he was that night.
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Ross and I left at 8:00 to drive to Newton. Office Wright had taken John to the hospital to be checked out. We arrived after 11:00. John was not injured, but they hooked him up to an IV for fluids (he was dehydrated).
The three of us got home at 4:30 AM.
So -- that's our BEFORE and AFTER moment.
I have to accept the fact that John has Alzheimer's. And John has to accept the fact that he can NEVER drive again. We're both struggling with these new realities.
Our head-in-the-sand days are over.
On New Year's, many people make Resolutions...I've never been a fan. But, every year, I do like to pick a word. I like the simplicity of a one word mantra...
One year, my word was NEXT...(actually, it was such a great word, I used it for three years)
Last year my word was PATIENCE...
This year -- obviously -- my word is ACCEPTANCE.
Oh My Lord, My heart nearly stopped reading this post. Thanks be to God he was safe. Good to hear he never wants to drive again. Hugs for you both.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry you are having to deal with this. I'm in the same place but a few years behind you. The day I have to tell my husband he can no longer drive is going to be a miserable day. Sometimes I also pretend my husband doesn't have dementia. I read something about symptoms and tell myself that he doesn't have any of "those" so everything is OK, but I know he is having problems, but it is nice to pretend for a little while that all is well.
ReplyDeletePraise God John is safe! His guardian angel was working overtime for sure. Sending so much love your way.
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