She Fell Into Bathtub, Was Stuck for 9 Days

One backward step into her bathtub left an 82-year-old North Carolina woman stranded there for nine days. Joan Rivet of Clyde fell on June 1, injuring her back and landing in a way that left her unable to climb out, with her phone and cat on the other side of the bathroom door, reports the Mountaineer. With no nearby family and few daily obligations, no one realized anything was wrong until Rivet's brother in Georgia, who calls her weekly, couldn't reach her and asked neighbors to check, per the Guardian. They saw her car in the driveway but no movement, prompting a call to the Haywood County Sheriff's Office, which found her semi-conscious in the tub on June 10.

Rivet, who had nothing to eat, survived by learning to twist the faucet with her foot and splash water to her face, her cries—and those of her cat—unheard by neighbors. She was hospitalized for severe dehydration and bed sores, then transferred to a rehab facility, where she's relearning how to walk and credits prayer for keeping her hopeful. "There were times I was crying out and I said, 'Lord, help, help, help release the pain,'" she says. The ordeal has prompted her to plan a move to live with family in Georgia and spurred neighbors and fellow church members to step up wellness checks on people living alone. Her cat Phoebe also made it through the nine days and is being cared for by friends.