AFTER MORE THAN 22 YEARS – I HAVE BEEN FORCED TO MOVE MY OFFICE
Several months ago, while driving on an eastbound street in Enid, Oklahoma, I left the traffic light at a major intersection about a mile from a railroad crossing on my way to the office. After driving the entire distance from the intersection and not remembering anything or seeing or hearing anything – I was in some state of unconsciousness. I was suddenly aware of my surroundings.
I awoke to feel the vibrations of the warning horn from the engine and see the windshield being crushed by the downed railroad gate and the two red blinking lights. Instantly turning my head to the right, I saw the three huge yellow lights of the front of the diesel train engine and the horrified look of fear upon the face of the engineer as he was madly pulling on the warning horn.
The train was within 10 feet of striking my SUV as I continued driving to safety away from the huge diesel locomotive which I can only assume missed my SUV by a couple of feet. I could feel the vibration of the huge diesel locomotive as it rumbled past where I was seated in my SUV only a nano-second earlier.
I immediately drove to an auto repair shop and called my daughter who came to my assistance. My daughter then called the Police Station and reported the accident. Within the hour a policeman came to my house. I explained to him what had happened. He issued me a ticket and I voluntarily surrendered my driver’s license to him. I informed the officer of the Neurologist’s diagnosis a few months earlier of PSP (Progressive Supra-Nuclear Palsy). The Neurologist also explained to me that it has similar symptoms to Parkinson’s Disease. I was then told there is no known cure for the disease and that I should stop driving. There was no specific reason given why and I felt that I still controlled my brain and my physical body – so I kept driving for several more months just going to and from the office – until the blackout that had just occurred.
Since that near miss by the Diesel Train I have suffered numerous falls and I now walk with a cane. And I realize that there is no reason why it will not occur again and I do not want to accidentally kill some bicyclist or someone walking their dog because I had suffered a blackout episode like I had just experienced, and so I voluntarily surrendered my driver’s license and a few days later transferred ownership of my Honda Pilot to my oldest grandson who had just lost his Honda CR-V when a tree had fallen on it in a windstorm and totaled his vehicle.
I felt I had to explain why I was in the process of moving my office and I hope I have not bored you with the details. I have still to open and go through more than a dozen boxes – and I find surprises every day. So, If I have not replied to your email or phone call, please do not give up on me. Send another email or make another phone call and I promise I will reply. Those of you who need to write an email, please always include your telephone number as it is easier in many cases to call and solve your problem than to type a lengthy email that may only raise more questions.
I shall return to monthly math news articles by mid-month of January, and hopefully put all this behind us.