82-Year-Old Woman Found Alive After Being Trapped in Bathtub for 9 Days - Slay News
An 82-year-old North Carolina woman survived nine days trapped in her bathtub without food after a fall left her unable to stand, staying alive by using her foot to turn on the faucet and drink water until deputies arrived to rescue her.
The remarkable ordeal ended only after the woman’s brother, concerned that she had stopped answering his calls, requested a welfare check that led authorities to find her barely conscious inside her home.
Nine-Day Ordeal Ends With Dramatic Rescue
Joan Rivet was getting ready for bed on the night of June 1 at her home in Clyde, North Carolina, when she stepped backward, fell into her bathtub, and pulled the shower rod and curtain down with her.
- Advertisement -The fall injured her back, leaving her unable to climb out. Her phone was in another room, beyond her reach.
Recalling the moment, Rivet said her first thought was, “Oh my goodness, what did I do?”
For the next nine days, Rivet drifted in and out of consciousness as daylight came and went.
She shouted for help while her cat, Phoebe, meowed alongside her, but no one heard.
- Advertisement -Realizing she could reach the faucet with her foot, Rivet managed to turn on the water and splash enough toward her face to stay hydrated despite having no food and no way to move into a more comfortable position.
She also relied on her faith throughout the ordeal.
“Lord, help, help, help release the pain,” Rivet recalled praying.
Despite the circumstances, she said she made a conscious decision not to surrender to despair.
- Advertisement -“I stayed away from the dark side of the whole situation because once you go down there, how do you get out?”
Brother’s Instinct Proves Lifesaving
Rivet’s brother, Bill Lesko, who lives about five hours away in Georgia, grew concerned after she stopped answering their regular weekly phone calls.
He first contacted neighbors, who told him Rivet’s car remained in the driveway but that they had not seen any activity around the home.
“I thought, well, maybe the phone isn’t connected, or she’s not answering, or she’s busy, but after several days, I realized she’s not answering, something’s not right,” Lesko said.
He contacted the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and requested a welfare check.
Deputies arrived at Rivet’s home on June 10 and found her semi-conscious in the bathtub.
- Advertisement -She was rushed to a hospital suffering from severe dehydration and bed sores before later being transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
Looking back on her recovery, Rivet expressed gratitude for the simple comforts she had gone without for more than a week.
“I’m warm, I’m dry,” she said.
“I had a shower this morning, hallelujah, they washed my hair.
- Advertisement -“I’ve had food and water. I’m content.”
She acknowledged that her recovery remains ongoing, saying, “I’m still regaining my energy, still regaining confidence.
“Doing what I can do and believing in myself.”
Rivet now plans to move to Georgia to live closer to family following the ordeal.
She also said the experience prompted a new commitment among neighbors who live alone.
“And now we say we need to check on one another,” she added.
Health officials estimate that millions of older Americans suffer falls each year, making them one of the leading causes of injury among seniors.
Rivet’s survival underscores how quickly an accident can become life-threatening for elderly people living alone and how a simple welfare check can make the difference between life and death.