This story is meant as a precautionary tale. Do not attempt this at your home, no matter what your age or physical prowess... Because, you know, as the saying goes, "shit happens." Following now is how it went down. No pun intended!
An eighty-one year old man who had been physically active all along, decided to climb onto the roof of his house to do something with a dryer vent. No snow on the roof. It seemed plausible. His wife was busy inside the home. She was aware of her husband's endeavor and probably did not give it a second thought. So, he proceeds and climbs up. Not long after, a car drives down the street. The "Good Samaritan" as the family called him, notices that a ladder is precariously tipped away from the roof. He notices a large mass on the ground. The Good Samaritan makes a turn to look again at something that just doesn't feel right. The mass on the ground, near the goofy looking ladder, is a human shape! Good Samaritan gets out of his car and hastily walks toward the front door. He pounds and pounds. Nobody opens. He then calls 911. As it was relayed to me, the wife heard the noises coming from the front of the house, but she thinks, let my husband deal with it. Can't blame her. I might have thought the same if only I had a husband.
The fire department arrives amidst blaring sirens. Now she has to pay attention; can't ignore that noise. As she opens the door her worst nightmare is unfolding. Her husband is on the ground. A pool of blood is surrounding his head. He is unconscious. Were it not for the Good Samaritan, he might have lost even more blood before being discovered. Not that it ultimately mattered, however. He is rushed to the emergency room. All sorts of procedures are enacted to attempt to restore him to life. He is subjected to cranial surgery--a piece of skull is removed to allow the brain tissue to swell. Many staples hold together the other cleft area of his scalp. The right side of his body is a gigantic purple bruise. The doctors determine eventually that the injury to his brain is not life-sustaining. They disconnect him from all machines and hope for recovery.
This was how he ended up in Hospice House. The victim of a traumatic brain injury. It could have been prevented had he not taken the roof risk. He had done it in the past and nothing untoward happened. Perhaps, his number was up. Had it not been the fall off the ladder, something else might have come along to usher him out of this existence. And ushered out he was. He died a few days later without ever becoming aware of the agony and self-incrimination felt by his family. But, they had their Faith. They were able to ultimately rationalize this unfortunate event. Their husband/father had lived a good, productive, active life. God saw fit to take him in this manner. And while grieving of course, their Faith mitigated the damage.
Moral of this Hospice House tale is, DO NOT CLIMB ONTO YOUR ROOF. Hire a professional. But then again--if your number is up... Hmm...
Hey, that's a nice blog post :)
ReplyDeleteHi Heidi! This is Joe
ReplyDeleteThis story is meant as a precautionary tale. Do not attempt this at your home, no matter what your age or physical prowess... Because, you know, as the saying goes, "shit happens." Following now is how it went down. No pun intended!
ReplyDeleteAn eighty-one year old man who had been physically active all along, decided to climb onto the roof of his house to do something with a dryer vent. No snow on the roof. It seemed plausible. His wife was busy inside the home. She was aware of her husband's endeavor and probably did not give it a second thought. So, he proceeds and climbs up. Not long after, a car drives down the street. The "Good Samaritan" as the family called him, notices that a ladder is precariously tipped away from the roof. He notices a large mass on the ground. The Good Samaritan makes a turn to look again at something that just doesn't feel right. The mass on the ground, near the goofy looking ladder, is a human shape! Good Samaritan gets out of his car and hastily walks toward the front door. He pounds and pounds. Nobody opens. He then calls 911. As it was relayed to me, the wife heard the noises coming from the front of the house, but she thinks, let my husband deal with it. Can't blame her. I might have thought the same if only I had a husband.
The fire department arrives amidst blaring sirens. Now she has to pay attention; can't ignore that noise. As she opens the door her worst nightmare is unfolding. Her husband is on the ground. A pool of blood is surrounding his head. He is unconscious. Were it not for the Good Samaritan, he might have lost even more blood before being discovered. Not that it ultimately mattered, however. He is rushed to the emergency room. All sorts of procedures are enacted to attempt to restore him to life. He is subjected to cranial surgery--a piece of skull is removed to allow the brain tissue to swell. Many staples hold together the other cleft area of his scalp. The right side of his body is a gigantic purple bruise. The doctors determine eventually that the injury to his brain is not life-sustaining. They disconnect him from all machines and hope for recovery.
This was how he ended up in Hospice House. The victim of a traumatic brain injury. It could have been prevented had he not taken the roof risk. He had done it in the past and nothing untoward happened. Perhaps, his number was up. Had it not been the fall off the ladder, something else might have come along to usher him out of this existence. And ushered out he was. He died a few days later without ever becoming aware of the agony and self-incrimination felt by his family. But, they had their Faith. They were able to ultimately rationalize this unfortunate event. Their husband/father had lived a good, productive, active life. God saw fit to take him in this manner. And while grieving of course, their Faith mitigated the damage.
Moral of this Hospice House tale is, DO NOT CLIMB ONTO YOUR ROOF. Hire a professional. But then again--if your number is up... Hmm...