Uncaring Husband Needs A Heart Transplant

November 30, 2007

in Illness/Medical Stories

I travel a lot for business. I started this at a fairly young age, so I was a bit inexperienced in the ways of the world. But I have always been an accommodating person, I don’t complain much and I take it all in stride. It must be my Midwestern background.

Anyway, I was on a flight home from Philadelphia to Minneapolis. It is a fairly long flight as it is, but was made even longer by a rugby team of 14 – 15 year old males, most of who had never flown before. They proceeded to drink all fluids on the plane as we sat on the runway waiting for storms that were apparently everywhere else in the country to clear out. Oh yea, did I mention that it was about 103 degrees and humid out and that the pilot had turned off the engines so that we wouldn’t need to refuel or lose our place in line? Yea, I have tried to block that part out. Let me just say it was about twice that temperature inside that metal tube sitting in the midday sun.

BUT the best part was the lady sitting next to me – I was window seat, she was middle and her husband was aisle. She was on her way to the University for a pancreas transplant, and because of this had moved up to my aisle to be closer to the front of the plane. Yes, a transplant. So, she is sick as hell and not happy because we are sitting on the runway for an hour and half (understandable). She is hungry and thirsty because she is basically getting off the plane and into a surgical room so she cannot have anything. Her husband is eating her snack so she is getting more and more upset and he does NOTHING. She is making about a million phone calls from the seat back phone trying to figure out if she is going to make it in time for her pancreas, and to make it even better, she decides to ask me (ME!), a 22 year old kid, what I think would be better – an ambulance from the airport or a taxi? How am I supposed to know? Personally, it’s no question – you are about to die – take an AMBULANCE! Get this plane in the air. Now. Please. Someone. I didn’t move the entire time I was on that flight. Not once. I barely breathed.

Lady – I hope you made it OK. I hope the transplant worked for you. Husband – I hated you for many years for not comforting your sick wife and sitting there eating cookies and apples while she was starving. I have gotten over it now. But I always wonder when the next transplant patient will be next to me, and I try to get a seat closer to the back of the plane in the hopes of avoiding that situation.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

giggle April 2, 2009 at 10:38 am

Don't know if you will ever read this but don't feel so offended by the husband. He has probably used up most of his feelings and is not thinking about it. What can he do? So, he just ignores it. Make a fuss and they will get thrown off the plane and be requested to take an air ambulance.

She was just desperate for someone to talk to and hold her hand. She just wanted you to be compassionate and maybe think of something to talk about so she would not have to think of what a terrible situation she was living through.

Forgive him, Forgive yourself for not knowing, however hold the airline responsible. It's ridiculous to have to sit on the runway like that. I hope they passed that passenger bill of rights the legislature talked about a few years ago.

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Anonymous April 3, 2009 at 3:22 pm

This has got to be the funniest post that I've read so far on this website. You're too much.

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Rob April 25, 2009 at 6:28 pm

Can someone precis this? Maybe it's her Mid-western background, but smashing one idea into 14 sentences is a little verbose for me. I guess when you can see your dog run away from home for 16 hours, you have a lot of time to write about stuff.

Get to the point.

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Peaches August 10, 2011 at 11:58 am

Maybe I'm being too picky (maybe my Deep South background), but I thought they flew the organ to the patient – not the patient to the organ.

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Edward March 12, 2012 at 4:23 pm

That does sound like a bad experience I'm sorry you had to go through that OP. I agree the husband was a creep and a moron.

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