FOTD XXVI - Nineteen Seizures

A few weeks back I took a radiocall in Summerlin and picked up Ilona. She's eighty years old plus with a hunched back, walks very slow and still very independent. (She wouldn't allow me to help her get in the car or what not, she said pretty sternly "If I need help I will ask") The first trip was just a ride around the corner to the grocery store, upon arrival I told her the fare was $6.50 and she told me that I was to wait for her to get back... anyways, after she was done shopping she came out I took her home and the fare was like $26 due to the wait time. On the first trip we spoke a little bit and she told me that so far this year shes had sixteen seizures and that if God wanted to take her He would.

She also told me a little bit about her history. She moved to the USA back in the late 40's with her husband, both from Budapest, Hungary. They moved to Las Vegas in 1990. Her husband passed away in 2000 and since then she's been all alone. They didn't have any children and she doesn't have any relatives in the states or friends, other than her neighbors.

I could really go on and on but it would amount to endless pages of ramblings that would lead the few readers I have to conclude that I'm meth'd out. One thing she strongly believes in is that constipation leads to death. Probably some truth to that, she did blame Tim Russert's death to constipation. After the first ride I gave her my number which she used a few days later to set up a second pick up the following week.

Still not convinced that she would make a good 'personal', on the day of our appointment, I was waiting in her neighborhood when I took another call some fifteen minutes before our appt. It was a good ride, and when I was done I was some two hours late for the pick up. On that trip I took her to two stores and to the gas company to pay her bill (she prepays three months). During this trip I decided to go into the store and help her grab shit off the shelves and what not (partly to speed up the wait time, but to also help her). This trip was ~$65 or so. Even though I was two hours late, she was glad I came - however she didn't feel to good by the end of the trip due to the heat.

blah blah blah, last week she scheduled a pick up at 8am for this past Monday. Anyways I showed up on time and took her to three stores and to pay her triple A home insurance bill. The trip took nearly three hours with a final meter of $107.30 - my second >$100+ trip. She went on to say that she's now had nineteen seizures but she's starting to feel better. I went through the whole bit about how maybe she should sell her house and take the money and check into senior care facility but she doesn't want any of that.

It's loco though, this frail (80 lb) old lady, all hunched over, moving slowly, just grinding out her life and doing it to it. It feels weird having her say, "Jeremy, thank God for you."

WTF ZOMG