EP337: "I'm The Dentist In The Wheelchair" and One Night in the Family Funeral Home

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Call your local State Farm agent for a quote today. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, and we tell stories about everything here on this show. From the arts to sports, and from business to history, and everything in between. Including your stories.

Send them to OurAmericanStories.com. They're some of our favorites. Overcoming physical tragedy is no small task, and it's important to hear stories of those that live everyday life well and beautifully with a handicap. Today we have Hayden Perkins' story. Hayden lives here in Oxford with his wife, Jessica, his three college-aged sons, and four-year-old daughter.

Here's Hayden. I'm a pediatric dentist, so I went to a couple of extra years, two extra years of training after dental school. And then I went through the whole board certification and stuff like that, so I'm board certified. I grew up in a little small town, a little small farm town called Hollendale, Mississippi, over in the Delta. One of my earliest memories was my dad, there's an old cemetery on Lake Washington, outside of Glen Island. I pretty much grew up out there. My grandparents owned a lot of farmland around there, and so we were on Lake Washington. My dad's aunts both lived on Lake Washington.

His mother died during childbirth, so his aunts basically raised him, and so they lived out there, and so he took care of them as he got older. But when I was like, maybe like 18 months old, his father died. And I remember I probably like two and a half or three, but being at the cemetery and, you know, throwing a ball or something like that, and then him hugging me and crying. And that was probably like my, probably the earliest memory. My mom was kind of the disciplinarian. She was very, very tough. We didn't have like big family discussions and things like that, but we were close enough to where, you know, if we were having a problem, you know, we could, my parents were just working and busy. But certainly later in life, you know, after I got hurt and things like that, that definitely helped me open up to them a lot more, you know, about things. I was 15 years old.

It was November 9, 1991. I'm just sitting in the living room or something, and my best friend, Jessica Sullivan, she had this little mutt dog named Rascal, and it didn't have any hair. I mean, it was just, I mean, it probably should have been put down years before all this happened, but her dad was a farmer and he found it running around the farm one day and brought it home. One problem it has is it had seizures all the time. And so she called me crying, freaking out.

Rascal's having a seizure. Can you take me to the vet? Yeah, I'll come get you. So she didn't have her license yet. So I went and got her and dropped her off.

We went to the vet, and then her boyfriend, his name was Duke McCrory, dropped her off at her boyfriend's house. I headed home and I stopped in Wayside, got some gas and some chips or something, and that's, I think that's when I remember I didn't put my seatbelt back on. And I was driving a Mitsubishi Montero.

It was kind of a newer vehicle, kind of the new thing Mitsubishi was putting out. It was an SUV, but they were real tall and boxy. It was kind of overcast, real windy. I got about four or five miles down the road, and I think I reached down to change the radio station or something, and a big gust of wind hit me and blew me off the road. And when I tried to come back on, there was a big lip when I tried to come back on, and they think the front tire blew out or it just caught them, so I just turned sideways and just started flipping. And I went out the windshield, bounced down the road a couple hundred yards and ended up in a ditch.

There was a vehicle coming towards me that stopped, and then just by some miracle there was a sheriff about two miles behind me, and he started out as an EMT. And so when they found me, I was in a ditch. My body was completely contorted and twisted, and I wasn't breathing because of my diaphragm.

I mean, you can't breathe like that. And he told the other guy to grab my legs, and he grabbed my shoulders, and they just wrenched me back. And as soon as they did, they said, you know, I started breathing. And I kind of came to, and I was kind of in and out, you know, laying there. But I did remember sitting up, you know, and then realizing, you know, and trying to just get up and realizing, you know, I couldn't move my legs, and so I just laid back down and ended up taking me to the hospital in Greenville and then transporting me to Jackson. You know, you go through a denial stage for a while, and, you know, the doctors don't want to tell you, you know, it's 100 percent, it's permanent, it's, you know, you're never going to walk again, you know, so they always try to give you some good things. And there are people that get hurt, and six months after and a year after, you know, they start getting, you know, movement and filmmaking stuff, but so there was always that hope, that prayer, like, please let me start feeling, let me start walking. You know, it was probably a couple of years before I gave up on that. It was tough in a sense that, you know, you're 15.

I think I was more embarrassed about being in a wheelchair. I mean, I remember my parents taking me back to school, you know, about my first day going back to school. It was just, it was just tough. And you can only imagine what that must be like, and we love telling these stories because you hear them right from the person themselves, and I know Hayden, he's my daughter's dentist, and he doesn't know it, but the guy's one of my heroes, the way he's lived his life. And when we come back, we'll continue with Hayden Perkins' story after these messages. This is Our American Stories. Folks, if you love the great American stories we tell and love America like we do, we're asking you to become a part of the Our American Stories family. If you agree that America is a good and great country, please make a donation. A monthly gift of $17.76 is fast becoming a favorite option for supporters. Go to OurAmericanStories.com now and go to the donate button and help us keep the great American stories coming.

That's OurAmericanStories.com. Soon millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year, and UnitedHealthcare can help you feel confident about your choices. For those eligible, Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15th through December 7th. If you're working past age 65, you might be able to delay Medicare enrollment depending on your employer coverage.

It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be. Visit UHCMedicareHealthPlans.com to learn more. UnitedHealthcare, helping people live healthier lives. I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop, but for small business insurance, I need my State Farm agent. They make sure my business stays piping hot, and I stay cool and confident. See, they're small business owners too, so they know how to help you best. State Farm is in your corner and on it. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

Call your local State Farm agent for a quote today. Doing household chores can already be time consuming and tedious, and there's nothing more daunting than facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done. I mean, that can be overwhelming for anyone. So if you want to get those larger laundry loads done right and get back to your life, try All-Free Clear Mega Packs. All-Free Clear Mega Packs are bigger packs with two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry. All-Free Clear Mega Packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and they're gentle on skin, which is great for any family's sensitive skin needs. Which my family, we definitely have sensitive skin. So the next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation is that's caused this big pile of dirty clothes, just know that All-Free Clear Mega Packs, they have your back.

Purchase All-Free Clear Mega Packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types. And we continue with our American stories and we've been listening to Hayden Perkins' story. He's a pediatric dentist right here in Oxford, Mississippi, where we broadcast. We left off with Hayden telling us about his car accident that had led him to his life without the use of his legs.

We return to Hayden. You know, you're 15 and you're dating girls and that part was kind of hard in the beginning, I guess. Now, you know, my support base was awesome. My friends were awesome, the school, everybody. I mean, you know, my friends never, you know, skipped a beat. They didn't allow me to not be involved and, you know, not do things.

I mean, they'd just grab me, pick me up, throw me in the boat, you know, if we're going hunting. And, you know, that was a big help because it was just, you know, that first year or two, probably my freshman and sophomore year where, you know, I just had a tough time. But something, I guess, just kind of clicked and I basically was like, you know, you can sit around feeling sorry for yourself and wishing, you know, what could have been and whatever.

You can move on and make the best of it. I kind of did and I never looked back, really. A lot of people can't get over it, can't get past things like that. And I was just able to and I have people ask me all the time, you know, I guess, hang around about if you could change things.

And honestly, I wouldn't go back and change it. It just, I think it kind of makes me, made me who I am. It's who I am.

I'm, you know, Hayden Perkins, I'm the guy in the wheelchair. I mean, it just, I just, and I don't, I can't tell you the last time I thought about it. I mean, it's just a part of me. You know, I might, if I'm rolling around, I get, you know, my front wheel gets stuck on a rug or something and I, you know, I kind of fall forward or something and I might cuss and throw the rug around. But I don't, I don't think, you know, God, if it wasn't for the stupid wheelchair, if I wasn't in this wheelchair, I mean, that never comes into play. It's just a part of me. I don't see, it's like when I, when I see somebody else in a wheelchair, I think that person's in a wheelchair. But I don't, I never see or I never, never see myself in a wheelchair.

I don't know. It's hard to, kind of hard to explain. You know, like going back to, you know, if I could go back and change things, I wouldn't.

I mean, I think it was part of what was supposed to happen. You know, I was, I didn't make good, didn't really care about my grades. And, you know, I was, you know, kind of the athlete and got most handsome and, you know, had the pretty girlfriend. And I don't think I was headed to a path to where I would be right now if it would not have, I'm 100% convinced.

I don't know where I'd be, but I know that for sure. And it made me, I think the whole injury and all of it, helped to make me, I guess, maybe a fighter. I don't give up on things.

I don't take no for, if I get my head around something now, you know, I'm pretty darn determined. When I was in, started college, you know, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. And I don't even remember who said it was like, well, you know, computer science and all that stuff was just kind of getting revved up. And you could, you know, make a lot of money, you know, and, you know, you can sit there, you can sit at a desk, work on computers. It's perfect.

And they make a lot of money. I was like, okay. So I started out in computer science and I took my first calculus class and computer programming class.

And I was like, yeah, no. And then I had a, I was home for something and I had a dental appointment with my dentist in Greenville. You know, we got to talk and I don't think we talked about me being a dentist, but that was when I decided, you know, this was right up my alley.

I like hanging around people and taking care of people and dentists pretty much sit down all day long. So I'm going to do that. And so I started, you know, I changed my major and, you know, I had to really work hard, really had to study hard. You know, and I had people, you know, my parents even. Well, I mean, you know, you need to have a backup plan. You know, what if you don't get in? And there was no backup plan.

That's what I was going to do. And I was, I was going to get in. It was summer break.

I was home for the summer. My friend Jessica Sullivan, she always had a bunch of girls. One of them was Jessica. Jessica Wood at the time. Anyway, and we had, nobody had ever met her before. And I remember she coming out and she had this little green dress on and everybody was, and of course, you know, we're guys are all in the car, you know.

Golly, who's that? I don't know. I guess we kind of hit it off that night and we ended up starting dating almost immediately after that. You know, I knew there were probably a lot of people in college that me being in a wheelchair kind of would have been a problem, would have been an issue, you know, for dating or marrying. I don't think she ever saw it either.

She'd never allow me to use it, you know, as an excuse or never remember even coming up and talking about it. So we got married in May of 1995. 1995. So I was a, I was a junior. She was a senior. So I was studying ecology one night because I had changed my major to biology and pre-med. And so we were studying and she calls me and says, you know, I think I might be pregnant. And I was like, what? And I was like, I just remember being like, OK. Not irritated, not irritated that she was, she was saying that she was pregnant, but I was like, she's not pregnant.

And I'm irritated. I got to stop studying. I got to go to Wal-Mart and get a pregnancy test and go over to her house. So I went to Wal-Mart, you know, and I'm, you know, of course, I don't know what I'm doing.

I'm like on that aisle looking. So I get a pregnancy test. And I go over and I'd gotten out of the little chair, I'm sitting on the couch, she goes to the bathroom, comes back and she hands it to me and it has a plus on it. And I remember it was the weirdest, just a spontaneous response. We both just started dying out laughing. We just laughed hysterically. And then, and then it kind of hit us.

All right, well, what are we going to do? You know, there were a lot of stages in my life that got me to kind of to where I am. And that was kind of that was probably the next big one that really lit a fire under me and catapulted me, you know, to do even stay even harder and do even better because it was it was kind of real then.

And it, you know, we say it all the time, we talk about it. It matured us probably. We grew up real, real fast.

I think they were just kind of wake up calls being in a wheelchair or when I got hurt. And then, of course, you know, getting told that you're about to have a newborn baby and you're not not married and you're you know, you're in college and it kind of changes things. You know, I think I would think back on it now and you know, I'm just like, I don't know how the hell we did it, but we did. I think when you're younger like that, you just it's just different. Like if I had to go back and do it all now at my age, I couldn't do it.

But you're just kind of in survival mode trying to get to the trying to get to that next step. You know, when I got in dental school, I mean, she got pregnant again. Spring of my freshman year of dental school, we had twins.

You know, a lot of people would say, you know, God, how in the heck did you do dental school? And you had a two year old and twin newborns and we just did it in his life. We were just working every day. Jessica was working and I was basically had a full time job with dental school. And you just made time for the family when you could. And looking back on it, it was fine.

It was not that I didn't I guess it didn't seem that bad. And my goodness, what storytelling and what a voice. He talked about the fact that he could sit around feeling sorry for himself, wishing what might have been or you can get on with things.

When we come back, we continue the story of Hayden Perkins, a real life hero story here on our American story. Soon millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and UnitedHealthcare can help you feel confident about your choices. For those eligible, Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15th through December 7th. If you're working past age 65, you might be able to delay Medicare enrollment depending on your employer coverage.

It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be. Visit UHCMedicareHealthPlans.com to learn more. UnitedHealthcare, helping people live healthier lives. I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop, but for small business insurance, I need my State Farm agent. They make sure my business stays piping hot and I stay cool and confident. See, they're small business owners, too, so they know how to help you best. State Farm is in your corner and on it. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

Call your local State Farm agent for a quote today. Doing household chores can already be time consuming and tedious, and there's nothing more daunting than facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done. I mean, that can be overwhelming for anyone. So if you want to get those larger laundry loads done right and get back to your life, try all free clear mega packs. All free clear mega packs are bigger packs with two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry. All free clear mega packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and they're gentle on skin, which is great for any family's sensitive skin needs, which my family, we definitely have sensitive skin. So the next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation is that's caused this big pile of dirty clothes, just know that all free clear mega packs, they have your back.

Purchase all free clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types. And we continue here with our American stories in our final segment of Hayden Perkins story. He's a pediatric dentist that at the age of 15 was in a horrible accident that paralyzed him from the waist down. He married his wife Jessica in college and worked hard to become a pediatric dentist, despite all the odds against him.

Back to Hayden. You can't be a victim, you know that we see that a lot these days. And, you know, there's always an excuse that I can't do something or because of this or, you know, whether it's, you know, an injury or something that's gender based or race based or, you know, anything like that, you know, it's just, you can do anything. You put your mind to you want to I've raised I've raised the boys that way and push them push them push them.

I don't try to be, but I think I'm probably a pretty good example of, you can do whatever you want to do. You know, I had people tell me, getting into dental school, I mean, I was at the time I, you know, I didn't know. There was, I know there was some concern with admissions board about me, being able to.

There were some questions in the interviews, you know, not real direct but I could kind of see that, you know what they were about. All right, well, how's this gonna, how's this gonna work? I mean, you can't use his feet, how's he gonna do the risk that you know the little pedal that controls everything. And that's something that I didn't. I never. I mean, I knew that was how it worked, but I, I didn't think about it.

I didn't care figure it out. How's he going to keep his hands clean and you know just things like that but I, you know, it's not something I ever really thought about or used as a roadblock. I just never even, it's just one of those things, you know, I'm, that's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to do it and I'll figure, we'll figure out how to make it work. You know, sometimes I'll go in the rooms and, you know, they'll be surprised and sometimes they'll even say something. I remember several times, you know, going like today I was in the operating room and I'll go, I'll go into the room to talk to the parents, you know, before we, we go back and a lot of times the grandmama will be there. Well, the grandmama wasn't at the initial appointment.

I'll go busting up in there and, you know, and it's Susie and I'm talking to little Susie, you ready to get your teeth clean, brush and going through all this stuff. And I can see the grandmama just kind of almost a little confused. They're just surprised, you know, and they'll even, I've had even some of them asking, you know, I'll get to talking and, you know, she'll, you know, she'll say, this is your dentist.

The older, I mean, they'll just ask you, I mean, they're, they're not embarrassed to, you know, ask a question. And, you know, they're just a little surprised that, you know, and a lot of them think that it was that I was hurt after I went to dental school. It's a lot more shocking or surprising to them when, you know, I tell them, you know, I know I was hurt when I was 15 and, you know, and you still went to dental school?

I think that's a weird or strange observation that, or reaction that people have that, you know, if you're disabled or there's just certain things you can't do, or it's expected that, you know, you're not going to achieve real big things. You know, after I was hurt, you know, obviously I was depressed about, you know, a lot of things, but depressed that I couldn't do a lot of things that I used to love doing, and, you know, football and different sports and golf, and I still miss golf. You know, I get sad when we're down at the beach and, you know, the boys are, you know, they love playing golf.

There are things like that that I do, you know, when I say I don't ever think about it or don't, there are things like that that I do. I don't know if they make me sad, but well, maybe I do. Maybe I get sad that, you know, I wish I could do that with them.

Now, you know, and Hayden's four were down at the beach. I wish I could walk down the beach with the waves splashing and collect seashells. That's a specific thought I guess I've had is going to the beach and not being able to play with her, go out into the water and hold her up and, you know, like all the other dads are doing. Anything that I can't do, if I run into it, you know, I might get a little sadder. I think about it, you know, because I say, you know, you know, if I put my mind to it, you can, you can do anything. Well, there are limitations on that.

Okay. I can't, I can't get up and run out into the water and hold my little girl up on the beach. There are things like that that I might get a little emotional about or kind of sad about, but there are things that I do miss or maybe I miss out on that I wish I could do, but I don't lose sleep over it. I kind of think about it and, but then I just move on. I do something different. Life is short and I've gone through periods of my life after I got hurt where, you know, I was down about things. Maybe not in my wheelchair, but you only got so much time here and you gotta play with the hand you've been dealt. You just gotta pick yourself up and go. And that's what I've tried to do. And when I, I get, I get down or, you know, worried about something or stressed about something, you know, I just try to remember, you know, how blessed I feel like I am to be where I am.

Catch myself a lot of times saying, Hayden, really? I mean, you're really worried about that? Look at how successful you've been. Look at how much God has blessed you. And you're worried about not having enough or wanting to do more or do this, you know, so you just gotta, you just gotta live life. That's all I can say. Lately, over the last couple of months, I've had like this anxiety stuff, you know, and about doing, have I done this right or golly, I should have done this in the past.

Why did I sell this? I guess I'm middle aged. I worry about, am I going to be able to keep going?

Statistically, paraplegics, quadriplegics have a shorter lifespan, not significantly, but it's, you looked at statistics, you know, you just don't live as long. And the main reason for that is, you know, you just, you have something going on and you don't know. A melanoma or something on your hip or, you know, or some kind of bladder cancer, something that you would, you know, you would have some pain or something from and you would, you know, you would go to your doctor about. I worry about that, you know, especially now I've got a little four year old and I still want to be around. For the most part, their irrational thoughts is things that you can't control, you know, it's things in the past that you did or you didn't do, things in the future that you cannot. I mean, I can't control if I, you know, if I leave here and I get on the highway and I get hit by a Mack truck, you know, there's, you can't control that kind of stuff. So I think about that, like, why am I sitting here thinking about if I'm going to die at 62? I can do everything I can.

I can go to the doctor every year or every six months and get a physical and do things earlier than most people say you should. So, you know, it's like a roller coaster for me. You know, I'm good, like right now I'm talking about it and I'm good.

And then I'll wake up at 2 a.m. having a panic attack. I'm working through it. I'm better.

I'm good now. So it's just one of those, just another, another thing in life that's happening, I guess. Do as much as you can and then you just got to give it to God and let it go and then live. Life is too short. The story of Hayden Perkins, his wife Jessica, his beautiful kids, a life well lived in a beautiful small town that we broadcast from Oxford, Mississippi.

That family story here on Our American Stories. Music Soon millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and UnitedHealthcare can help you feel confident about your choices. For those eligible, Medicare Annual Enrollment runs from October 15th through December 7th. If you're working past age 65, you might be able to delay Medicare enrollment depending on your employer coverage.

It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be. Visit UHCmedicarehealthplans.com to learn more. UnitedHealthcare, helping people live healthier lives. Music I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop, but for small business insurance, I need my State Farm agent. They make sure my business stays piping hot and I stay cool and confident. See, they're small business owners too, so they know how to help you best. State Farm is in your corner and on it. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

Call your local State Farm agent for a quote today. Doing household chores can already be time consuming and tedious, and there's nothing more daunting than facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done. I mean, that can be overwhelming for anyone. So, if you want to get those larger laundry loads done right and get back to your life, try all free clear mega packs. All free clear mega packs are bigger packs with two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry. All free clear mega packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and they're gentle on skin, which is great for any family's sensitive skin needs, which my family, we definitely have sensitive skin. So, the next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation is that's caused this big pile of dirty clothes, just know that all free clear mega packs, they have your back.

Purchase all free clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types. This is our American stories and today we bring you the story of Tom Ryan and Tom is a 95 year old listener of our show in Los Angeles. Tom had an unusual upbringing. He grew up on Long Island, New York, living behind a funeral parlor run by his family.

Here's Tom. I was there on Saturday morning when the sheriff arrived to talk to Grandma. It was the day after the big snowstorm. My folks were away and I had stayed with Grandma overnight.

At age 10 I was too young to stay home alone, but staying at Grandma's was not too cool either because you see, she ran a funeral home. Sometimes there were dead bodies only a few steps from the living room at the back of the house where we watch TV. It was hard to get too relaxed when I looked over at the dark doorway leading to the bodies. That Friday night there was a very old lady being waked in one of the chapels, Mrs. Jackson, a friend of Grandma's who had died of cancer.

The sheriff sat at the kitchen table with his notebook in front of him. He asked Grandma if anything unusual had happened the last night because they were searching for an escaped convict from a prison two towns away. He is a murderer and very dangerous, the sheriff said.

They were setting up roadblocks to try to catch him. Grandma didn't answer directly but said, we have a funeral going out this morning, old Mrs. Jackson. We had to put her in a closed casket because the cancer was so bad. Will the hearse and the limos be able to get to the cemetery, Grandma asked. Yes, the sheriff replied.

The road is open to the cemetery. What about anything happening last night? Grandma gave me a stern look that he couldn't see and told him nothing had happened. It was real quiet, she said. I didn't say a word but as soon as the sheriff left I asked her what was going on. It wasn't like Grandma to lie.

She just shook her head and started to cry. I thought back about last night and remembered that shortly before dark, Grandma kept walking out the side window on the driveway every few minutes since she was expecting a delivery of new caskets. Suddenly there were yellow headlights shining on the snow outside the window and a loud knocking came on the side door where the caskets were brought in.

Fred the driver shouted, I have to hurry before I get snowed in. He had unloaded two caskets and started on another one. Wait, Grandma said.

I only ordered two, not three. I have to leave this one too, Fred said. I'll never get to the funeral home in the next town and I don't want the weight on my truck. Okay, Grandma said, if it helps you out. After he was gone, Grandma closed up tight. My folks were supposed to call to see how things were but the phone wasn't working.

The TV weatherman said the lines were down all over and roads were closed so we were all by ourselves. After a while, I started to fall asleep and Grandma helped me upstairs and put me into a soft feather bed. She left the door open a little so some light came in. I remember that I fell asleep but woke up later when I thought I heard voices downstairs.

I had started to get out of bed but it was so cold I crawled back in. The next morning I asked Grandma about it but she said I must have dreamed it. Later in the morning, the men who worked for Grandma came in and then loaded the casket into the hearse. When my folks came to pick me up, I saw Grandma holding onto my father's arm and talking to him. I heard her say, I need your help.

She took him into the office and closed the door. I thought I heard her crying. It was five years later when Grandma died that my folks told me the real story of what had happened that Friday night. It seemed that the voices I thought I had heard were those of Grandma and the escaped convict. The caskets that were delivered that night were made by prison labor and the convict with the nickname of Rabbit had hidden in one of those empty caskets.

When the delivery man had left, Rabbit had opened the inside latch and let himself out of the casket. He didn't know, however, that Grandma had fallen asleep in her big chair in the living room and she woke up startled and scared to see him standing near the fireplace holding a large knife he had taken from the embalming room. He was telling her to silence by holding the knife under her throat. He asked for car keys and money, but Grandma didn't have a car and didn't drive. When he realized that the storm had blocked the roads and there was no phone service, he asked Grandma when someone was coming with a car. Grandma told him that there was one funeral schedule for the next morning if the roads were open and men coming with a hearse and limousine.

When he saw some of my things on the couch and found out that I was upstairs, Grandma pleaded with him to let me sleep. She would help him get in the casket with Mrs. Jackson and be taken away in the hearse the next morning to the cemetery. He would then sneak out of the casket when it was left in the cemetery storeroom for a few minutes until the family arrived.

Rabbit didn't like the idea at all, especially getting into the coffin with a dead lady. He decided that they had no other choice, but he made it very clear to Grandma that if she was fooling him and he was caught, he would escape again and kill not only her but also all of her family. Grandma was terrified by this evil man. It was arranged that early on Saturday morning, Rabbit would get into the casket and then Grandma would close it and latch it shut. He was very hesitant, especially when he saw and smelled old Mrs. Jackson, but finally he climbed in holding his nose and threatening Grandma with a painful death if things didn't work out. He also ordered Grandma to get him some hot coffee in a thermos so they could drink it when it got cold in the casket, and she did so just before closing the lid.

The plan did work. When the man came and took the casket away and loaded it into the hearse, Grandma hadn't said anything about Rabbit being in the casket. After his private meeting with Grandma, my dad had immediately called the sheriff and arranged to stop in and see him. The police still hadn't found Rabbit, despite the roadblocks and searches of the nearby forests.

They were mystified as to how he could have disappeared so completely. Sheriff my dad said, as you know, this man was a murderer who would stop at nothing to escape. He told the sheriff how Rabbit had hidden in the casket at the prison and had ended up in Grandma's funeral home. He also explained how Rabbit had threatened Grandma and her family, so she was forced to help him escape in Mrs. Jackson's casket.

What? said the sheriff. Why didn't she call me as soon as he was in the casket?

I could have nabbed him right then and there. She was too scared, Sheriff, but my dad continued a little smile playing around his lips and pride in his voice. She was also smart enough to have slipped a large amount of sleeping pills into the coffee she gave him to drink in the casket. The sheriff thought for a moment and said, wait, if Rabbit drank that coffee, heck, he might have been buried alive in the casket with Mrs. Jackson.

The sheriff almost shouted as he got his phone out. We'll have to dig up the casket immediately. If we find him in the casket, I may have to take Grandma into custody.

She could be in a lot of trouble. Wait, my dad said. Wait a minute, Sheriff, before you do anything. Wait?

No, no, we can't lose any more time. That man may still be alive. If there was enough air in the casket, maybe he is. The sheriff was now calling to his assistants as he rose from his chair. Get the car ready, ready to roll, and call the coroner. No, Sheriff, please listen, my father replied quietly.

Sit down a minute. You see, there is no casket. No casket?

The sheriff looked confused. Of course there is a casket. They had the funeral and it was buried this morning.

No, my father replied quietly. You see, Sheriff, Mrs. Jackson's last wishes would actually be cremated. My goodness, it does not get better than that, folks. Tom Ryan's story, his grandma's story, my goodness, poor Rabbit's story. Hear on Our American Story.