An 82-year-old North Carolina woman survived being trapped in her bathtub for nine days after a fall left her unable to get out.
Joan Rivet, a widow living alone in the mountain community of Clyde, fell backward into her bathtub on June 1 while getting ready for bed.
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The fall brought down the shower curtain and rod, injuring her back and leaving her unable to pull herself up.
Her telephone remained out of reach in another room.
To survive, Rivet figured out how to turn the faucet knob with her foot and drank water by splashing it up to her face.
She drifted in and out of consciousness, comforting herself through prayer while her cat, Phoebe, meowed alongside her.
Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke confirmed deputies discovered Rivet semi-conscious on June 10 after her brother, Bill Lesko, requested a welfare check.
Lesko, who lives in Georgia, became concerned when his sister failed to return his weekly calls.
He first contacted her neighbors, who noticed Rivet's car still parked in the driveway but saw no signs of movement inside.
Upon rescue, Rivet was treated at a hospital for severe dehydration and bed sores, receiving IVs and liquid food during her initial recovery.
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By July 7, she had been transferred to a physical rehabilitation facility in Waynesville, North Carolina.
"I stayed away from the dark side of the whole situation because once you go down there – how do you get out?"
Rivet said during her recovery.
"I'm warm, I'm dry. I had a shower this morning – hallelujah – they washed my hair," she added.
"I've had food and water. I'm content."
"I'm still regaining my energy, still regaining confidence," Rivet said. "Doing what I can do and believing in myself."
Her cat also survived the event, and the ordeal prompted Rivet to plan a move to Georgia to live with her family.
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"I have two other neighbors that live alone, too," Rivet said. "And now we say we need to check on one another."
