You hear about stories like this on the news from time to time. A couple who loved each other so much in life that they could not be apart even through death. I have always been fascinated by this. As a nurse I have witnessed this for myself several times. It is more common than you think for one spouse to die and the other one will follow not too far away.
One study showed you are at least 30 percent more likely to die of any cause in the first six months following a spouse’s death. Another study found the bereaved spouse’s risk of death during those first six months rose by up to 50 percent!
Is it a broken heart? Is it a lack care? One of my favorite movies “Somewhere In Time” starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour shows this type of love. The movie was about a man who went back in time and met a woman with whom he fell passionately in love with. They were plotting their life together when he saw a penny that propelled him back into the correct time frame. He tries to find his love and learns that she has already passed away. he fell into depression where he was unable to continue doing anything without her being right by his side. He winds up sitting in a chair unable to do anything until he passes away. The movie then shows them meeting back up together in the afterlife. I love this movie! Now let me share this true life love story with you.
Gordon and Norma got married the same day she graduated from high school in 1939 and they spent 72 years together. On this fateful day however, they were separated in different rooms of the ER. They were sent to these separate rooms because of an accident that happened at an intersection. This event took place last week on Highway 30 and Jessup Avenue west of Marshalltown, Iowa. Gordon Yeager,94 was driving with his wife Norma, 90 had just left the house on their way into town. For unknown reasons Gordon failed to yield to an oncoming vehicle. The approaching car tried to avoid the inevitable accident but just couldn’t do it.
Both Gordon and Norma were hurt in the accident where they were taken to the ER. Even though they were both hurt and had their own personal pain they were more concerned about the other rather than themselves. When the staff realized they were not getting any better they decided to move them into the same room. They put them in the intensive care unit so they would be able to comfort each other while they received care. The beds were placed side by side and through the bars of their hospital beds they were able to hold hands.
Gordon passed away an hour before his wife did. The monitors were still hooked up to Gordon even though he had passed. The family noticed it looked like his heart was still beating even though he had stopped breathing. Then they realized he was actually transmitting his wife’s heartbeat through his body as if it were his own through their hands.
Gordon used to say all the time a good woman is worth waiting for so he only had to wait one hour for his sweetheart to begin to spend an eternity together. The family stated they did everything together in life and so it seems right they go out together as well. The family decided that Norma and Gordon should stay together for the funeral as well so they placed them together in one casket where they could continue to be together holding hands. Family also stated that they will be cremated and they would mix their ashes together.
