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( Just A Bit Misleading Headline! )

As the newspaper states, I was transferred from Abilene’s hospital to Saint John’s Hospital in Salina, 22 miles to the west. For reasons unknown, the ambulance transported me via Old (Bumpy!) Highway 40, the same highway on which the accident occurred in the opposite direction, instead of taking the smooth, modern Interstate 70. They couldn't have taken a worse route for an injured person who was in significant pain and did not have control of his legs. I was strapped to a flatboard stretcher, but my lower legs were loose and would bounce as we hit the bumps on the old highway. At times, it felt like my legs were about to fall off the edge of the stretcher, and I would scream out, “My legs! My legs!” The EMTs would gently pull them back to the middle. Nathan, the driver with more severe injuries, was transferred first while I waited for the ambulance to return. Unfortunately, he passed away soon after arriving at St. John’s Hospital.

What I’m about to share with you concerning my ambulance ride to Saint John’s is absolutely crazy and unbelievable, but it did happen. At one point along the way, I felt the ambulance slow down, make a turn on a dirt road, then another, and stop. I distinctly remember the EMT telling me the ambulance overheated, that we were at a farmhouse to get water for the radiator, and that we'd be on our way soon. Meanwhile, my parents were already at Saint John’s Hospital waiting and wondering what was taking so long for me to arrive. They thought maybe, like Nathan, I passed away too in transit.

When I finally arrived at St. John’s Hospital, I immediately went into surgery. ❦

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