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A few days ago our 80-year-old husband/father, Erwin, left our eastern Pennsylvania home with the idea he would drive to Kansas City. He has been diagnosed with cognitive impairment and left before dawn without telling us. He made it across Pennsylvania then spent the rest of the day wandering around northeast Ohio.
He eventually turned back east and ended up in West Virginia. His cell phone had died so we had no way to contact him. We were hopeful that he would find his way back home, but instead he became confused, lost and probably sleep deprived.
Much to our surprise, 30 hours after he left home we were contacted by a couple of employees of United Coal in Mill Creek. These wonderful people recognized Erwin's confusion and were concerned about his well-being. They did not want him driving by himself so they devised a plan to drive him and his car to Elkins (a 40 mile, one hour trip) where he could stay overnight in a motel and wait for one of us to come get him.
They even went so far as to choose a place with a restaurant so he would not have to drive around looking for food. They explained the situation to the motel manager who took charge from there. She kept an eye on him, making sure he didn't wander.
The United Coal employees called us later to make sure Erwin was okay and that we would be able to get to Elkins and get him home.
Everyone involved in this "rescue" has been so kind, thoughtful and helpful. How they even figured out how to contact us is amazing. They really went out of their way to help a person in need. They are to be commended. We are beyond grateful and will forever hold these special West Virginians in our hearts.
Sue, Nicole, Lisa
and Molly Morris
Allentown, Pennsylvania