In 2013 we started to live the ultimate retirement life at our lake cottage at Lake Malone, Muhlenberg county, Kentcuky. A beautiful setting, a quiet peaceful location, a healthy clean environment, interesting neighbours with as much activity as we wanted.
We were permanent residents in an area where it is mostly weekenders and vacationers. The roads in and out of Deepwater Estates were less than desirable, but we had a 4 wheel drive Subaru with 9 inch clearance that could handle any terrain.
But, the blizzard of January 12, 2018 happened.
Because of his history of colorectal cancer Charles had had a colonoscopy at Graves Gilbert in Bowling Green and the next day he was passing blood.
We knew any ambulance which tried to come down to our lakefront home would have difficulty with narrow winding roads covered in snow and ice, so we did not call 911.
It was snowing very heavily, but Charles decided his best bet was to drive himself to the hospital in our Subaru Outback.
It was already dark as he drove as fast and as carefully as he could through blinding snow. We encountered snow-ploughs all the way there. When we arrived at The Medical Centre in Bowling Green large mounds of snow were all that was seen in the Emergency Room parking instead of vehicles.
The ER looked deserted that night and had a skeleton staff because roads in and around Bowling Green were closed and hospital staff could not get to work.
Charles was attended to, his condition assessed and five units of blood were administered. He was admitted to the hospital and put in intensive care right from the beginning. I could not do anything but stand by and watch the medical team dash in and out of his hospital room taking care of him. No family members could assist us as no one could drive on the highways anywhere near Bowling Green.
This is when I learned all about what Kentuckians are like..
After several hours of anxious anticipation one of the nurses (a young man) knelt down in front of me and asked “Would you like a cup of tea?” How did he suspect that I was a tea drinker – not coffee or soda? I am British and a cup of tea is exactly what I needed. Were nurses now being taught to tend to the patient’s loved ones as well???
During the next two weeks I could relate so many incidents of the kindness of so many strangers whom I met during this stressful time.
First of all, I could not go home to get toiletries and night things because all the roads going out to Lake Malone were closed because of all the snow.
I had seen the sign in the Emergency Room Parking lot that said cars should be moved to visitors parking and not left in front of Emergency. I was dressed in warm clothes, my fur coat and nice sturdy snow boots so I trudged through all the snow and found my car under a mountain of snow. I dutifully drove it across the street to visitor parking where it was the only vehicle.
I managed to get back to the entrance of the hospital without falling when a young man approached me. It was dark, still snowing, so visibility was not good, especially not good for an 80 year old woman. When I managed to get to the sidewalk to the hospital I was a little nervous, when a young man said “You should not have taken your car over there, you should park right here (he indicated a spot right in front of the front door to the hospital), you should not be trying to walk through all that snow and ice”.
I agreed with him. At my age it was very precarious for me to trek through ice covered with at least 6 inches of snow. Another car was coming up the driveway and I replied, “I don’t think I can get my car here before this spot will be taken”.
This stranger said, “I will stand right here and keep it for you – you go and get your car”. So, I did. I am not very good at parallel parking, but he said he would direct me until I was successful.
When I finally got the car tucked in straight I started to walk away, but he told me to take my windshield wipers away from the windscreen so they would not freeze to the windscreen – which I did.
This helpful man walked me back into the hospital and asked me if I knew where I was going. This is a good question for any newcomer to the Medical Center in Bowling Green because not only do you have to know the room number, but how to get to the correct elevator which will take you to that part of the hospital – AND – which side of the elevator to exit to get to that room number.
He explained everything and came with me to Charles’ room where I found out his name and introduced them.
David was there because his sister had been admitted at about the same time as Charles. We had a nice talk when he told me to use the valet parking service at the hospital and NOT to try to walk through all the ice and snow to the parking lot. He told me that Kroger was the closest place to get toiletries, and a lot more, right across the street.
He also told me I should be staying at Econo Lodge as the rates were very reasonable and I could park right in front of the motel room door. I found out from him to ask the nurses for pillows, blankets etc., to sleep in Charles’ room. He told me all about the cafeteria and where I could get the best coffee in the hospital at any time. No, he was not a hospital employee – I just think he might have been an off-duty police officer.
I had tried to get a room at the hospital hotel earlier and they had recommended the Hyatt hotel which could accommodate me. I had to find it with the GPS and drive over there in the snow, but the staff were so helpful and insisted that I park in the handicapped parking in front of the front door and not 3 blocks away in their parking garage through ice covered walkways.
Thanks to David (my helpful stranger) I became very familiar with the hospital’s elevators, waiting rooms, cafeteria and other food outlets, which were closed because of the snow. I did use the valet parking for the 13 days that Charles was there, and it is an excellent service.
In the cafeteria I can’t remember how many times complete strangers came and sat with me and asked how I was and if there was anything they could do for me.
The cafeteria employees cut up fruit for me and prepared food items for me too.
As for the nursing staff and the staff at the Medical Center in general, they were all very friendly, helpful and kind. I began to notice this more and more everywhere for the next two weeks as I shopped for clothes and meals during that time as I found my way around Bowling Green.
Was this a fluke of the time of the snowstorm? “We’re all in this together” kind of thing.
I heard about this same helpful, altruistic activity after the tornadoes did their damage here in Bowling Green in 2021/2022. A friend with a severely damaged house found helpers in her yard the next morning already clearing out branches and leaving baskets of food on what was left of her porch.
How many times have shoppers offered their coupons at the checkout counter in department stores to help you reduce your bill? How many shoppers have offered advice on products you are considering in the grocery store. I had a fellow shopper point me to the exit when I got lost in a huge grocery/everything store.
I listened to a dissertation from a shopper in Kroger on where the best farmer’s market was to get the best parsley.
Take a walk in Lost River Cave Park in Bowling Green and get educated about that amazing property from trail companions. Talk to people in any of the parks, Mammoth Cave Park, the Riverside walk at Smothers Park in Owensboro and you will meet the friendliest, kindest and most helpful people.
Then there’s the incident of our getting lost at Lake Malone State Park. We knew the trails there quite well, but one day we wandered on to a newly built trail and got well and truly lost. Just as we sat down to ponder our situation two men in an ATV wobbled down a hillside out of nowhere, squeezed us into their very small ATV maintenance vehicle and rescued us.
Stopped at a traffic light one day we impatiently waited while the driver in front of us pushed his car left through the intersection, it looked like he was going to make it okay even as he held up traffic in every direction. The car veered off in the wrong direction, he tried to jump into his moving vehicle and was about to cause a bad crash.
BUT, several young men and women instantly appeared, dragged him out from under his moving car and stopped the vehicle just in time. I was sure I was going to hear a round of applause from everyone stuck in traffic that day.
Therefore, I hereby nominate Kentucky as the kindest state in the Union.
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