Every job comes with its share of hardships and challenges, be it a hot-headed boss, pushy clients or severe deadlines. But despite these circumstances, an average employee never expects to get trapped in a life or death situation to do his work. Such things are barely part of a job description after all.
In the northern region of Oregon, Jacob, a 22-year-old truck driver, set out on what he assumed was a routine delivery, only to find himself facing grave danger. Soon, he was battling for his life yet somehow he refused to jeopardize the special delivery, even though doing so could have saved him. They say big jobs usually go to men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones. Such is the story of this man named, Jacob Cartwright.
Jacob Cartwright, 22, was a native of the city Portland, Oregon. As a kid, he was not much into academics but he was a hell of a sportsman. After his graduation, he worked most of his life as a cross country trucker. His job kept him moving, always on the road. As a result, nothing in his life felt redundant. The long routes might bother any other person but not Jacob. He liked being on the road, besides he lived alone, so there wasn't much to do at home anyway.
Jacob lived in a two-story house. Being an only child, he knew how to be by himself for the most part. He was used to coming back to an empty home at the end of a long day. His house was long and narrow like a giant shoebox. His wooden framed windows, once yellow, were now dirty with the city grime. He usually kept them propped open at night to let the cool breeze inside his usually warm house. He was content with how things were going, which is not something a lot of people his age could say.
It is said that a person's priorities change when he has a family to look after. Jacob was no exception. Things began to change for him when he got married to Devon and became the father of two beautiful kids. The endless routes that kept him on road were now keeping him away from his family. While he liked being on the road, he loved his family and wanted to be around for his wife and kids.
Jacob started his search for a new job. He came across a more local driving job at Little Trees Transportation. The owner admired his familial priorities and decided to hire him. It did not take too long for Jacob to impress his boss with his work and dedication. He built a relationship of trust and loyalty with his work. As a result, his boss did not take too long to assign him with bigger duties.
It was the first week of January when Jacob was asked to drive across Oregon, from Portland to the small town of Nyssa. It was his first big task and he was pleased that his boss trusted him with it. He made his way to his truck which was being loaded with cartons. Once the workers were finished, Jacob saw that his truck was loaded to the top and packed completely. The cartons, though, were very light. Jacob was confused about what might be inside them but didn't dwell on the thought.
The snow had been falling continuously for a while now, which means Oregon's roads were carpeted with snow already. Jacob had not even begun his journey yet. He stood outside his truck, his breath pale against his face. He knew he will face some difficulty driving the truck, it's going to be dark soon and the roads will get slippery. But it seemed doable. He called his wife before leaving, telling her he will be home later than usual. Little did he know what is about to befall him.
Jacob put the truck in reverse and pulled out of the parking lot. He had almost six to seven hours of the journey ahead of him. The only thing he had packed was his cellphone, headsets, a pocket knife and two bottles of water. He did not pack any food thinking there will be plenty of rest stops where he will have to stop for fuel so he will grab a bite there.
Portland was a beautiful city, with its green parks, rivers and snow-capped mountains on its horizons. He has lived here for all his life and never once felt the need to move to some other place. This city was his home and every corner had a memory attached to it. Jacob wondered where all this nostalgia was coming from? It is not like he is leaving forever, its just a delivery trip.
Once Jacob reached the highway, driving on the snowy road became quite difficult. Despite the freezing weather, beads of sweat rolled down Jacob's face. Keeping the steering wheel steady was becoming more and more challenging as the miles passed by. He had heard too many stories about reckless drivers losing control and found dead on the side of highways. He didn't plan on being one of them.
The snowfall was still heavy, covering up the icy tracks his truck left on the road. Jacob had never traveled to Nyssa before but even he could tell that the road didn't seem right for some reason. He decided to check the GPS again and realized to his horror that he had entered the wrong address. His heart started racing, how could he be so careless. He quickly entered the correct address and began understanding the way.
The sky was a dark shade of blue now, the snow was still falling hard. The wipers of Jacob's truck were moving frantically over the windscreen. To get to Nyssa, he needed to get off the highway and take a detour on a service road. From that point, he was on the windiest road he had ever seen. The roads had sharp turns, and the pine trees were dense letting little to no light through.
Jacob drove his truck on the slippery road, wheels spinning momentarily before regaining friction. Peering at the signs ahead, he was not even halfway through. By this speed, there is no way he is making his way back home by tonight. All of a sudden, a sharp turn appeared ahead on the road. Jacob slammed the breaks with all his might and lost control of the truck.
Luckily, Jacob's truck stayed upright. He took a deep breath when the truck came to a halt. Jacob tried to rev the engine, only to hear a terrible sound. He got out of the truck to assess the situation and found out his tires were stuck hopelessly. He got back in the truck and tried again, stomping on the accelerator. But the truck would not budge. Jacob was stuck here in the middle of a highway.
For some reason, Jacob's first thought was he will be late for the delivery. His boss may or may not understand. He decided to call his supervisor to convey the delay, but his call did not go through. There was no service out here. Or anything else for that matter. He was surrounded by trees and a long road that was god knows how many miles away from a rest stop.
Jacob thought somebody is bound to drive up this road in a few minutes and he can get help from them. He started waiting, pacing back and forth outside his truck. Hours passed by yet nobody showed up. Jacob was getting anxious now, his assumption of getting help could not have been more wrong.
Jacob was still waiting for someone to rescue him, but the chances of anyone ever finding him were becoming bleak. Thirst began to creep upon him. He only had one bottle of water left and didn't pack any food for the way either. He decided to take a few sips from his bottle but save most of it as he didn't know how long it will be before he could get more. On drinking the water he realized he was more dehydrated than he thought.
As more and more hours passed, Jacob was slowly coming to terms with the hard truth; nobody was coming to help him. He felt stupid for waiting so long in hopes of someone showing up. There was no living soul in sight, not even an animal. He had to get out of this mess himself.
Jacob knew he needs to figure out a way to get out of here or he will die alone on the side of a road. He was feeling tired and cold already and he needed to get out of this place before it gets worse. It was dark and the weather was not getting better. He didn't know how to choose which direction to follow amongst the trees and the neverending road leading to god knows where.
Jacob was starting to regret his decision of taking this delivery. If he had said no, none of this would be happening. He couldn't help but feel helpless. He was missing the warmth of his bed. The faces of his kids and wife were appearing in front of his eyes. He decided this can't be the end for him. He is going to see his family again. He took a few more sips of water to clear his head.
Jacob chose to lock the truck before leaving, not that there was anyone in sight who could break-in. As he was about to lock up the truck, he thought about how he lost control of the truck and the truck almost tipped over. He determined he should probably check on the status of the cargo loaded in the trailer. While the truck would not budge, Jacob was able to open the storage trailer with all the cartons.
Jacob pulled out one of the huge but strangely light cartons he was going to deliver. He peeled back the packaging and pulled back the lid of the box. As he opened the box, his eyes scanned the contents of the package. Potato Chips. A lifetime supply of them. Jacob's stomach grumbled, his mouth full of saliva. He was starving and it wasn't as evident as this moment with these cartons in front of him.
Jacob's mind was telling him to put it right back to where it was. His gut, on the other hand, was roaring with hunger. Jacob knew his boss trusted him to deliver the shipment intact. Eating any of it, even a few crumbs, would go down as a total betrayal of his duties. His stomach whined in protest as he put the box back and closed the trailer.
Jacob determined he should at least start walking away from here, who knows there might be a rest stop a few miles away. So after locking his truck, he braced himself and trudged into the harsh winter. He didn't know where he was headed but he knew it will be better than sitting around and waiting for help.
Jacob had to walk in knee-deep snow for days. He ran out of the water and had to drink melted snow. He slept under pine trees in freezing conditions. But even now there were no signs of civilization to be found. His hope was slowly burning out, he didn't think he will make it long enough for anyone to help him. The days were slightly better than nights. He had light and a little warmth to help him hike for longer than he could at night.
It was Wednesday morning, a day after Jacob left for his delivery to Nyssa. The last time Devon heard from him was last night when he said he will be back home later than usual. Devon had stopped trying his cellphone since it was out of network range every time she tried. She called everyone from his work to get some idea of his whereabouts. But everyone else was as clueless as she was.
Devon reached out to the local officials and reported her husband as missing. They started advertising it everywhere. "The missing driver" made the headline of every newspaper and news channel for the next couple of days. When the officials spoke with Jacob's boss, they came to know that according to the GPS, Jacob got off the interstate and turned on to Highway 395. They sent out search parties for Jacob near that area. But there were no signs of him.
Jacob had lost the sense of what time is, he didn't know how many days he had been walking for or how many nights he had spent sleeping under the trees. All he knew was, he was tired and cold and hadn't had a meal in days. The sun was out so Jacob knew it was morning time. He was walking alongside some highway road. He didn't know how much longer he could keep going. Fatigue had taken over every cell in his body.
Jacob had decided to take a break when he heard a vehicle coming his way. The possibility seemed so absurd that at first, he thought he is imagining it. But there it was, he could see it. A truck gradually approaching him. Jacob knew he had to stop it no matter what. And as far as chances go, this is it. If this truck didn't stop for him, he will be left to die by the side of this road.
Jacob leaped to the middle of the road and stood in front of the truck leaving the driver no choice but to stomp on the brakes. Jacob reached his door and was ready to explain his situation to him but before he could even say anything the man in the driver seat goes "I know who you are.. you are the missing driver they're looking for". Jacob didn't know what he was talking about but he was glad because he knew what it meant. He was going home.
It had been 4 days since Jacob had gone missing. Devon had never felt this helpless before. She didn't know where to go, the search parties were of no help. She didn't know what to tell her children. After a long day of work, she found herself fumbling with her keys when she heard a sound from inside her house. Devon froze in her place. She knew the kids were at mum's place. She assumed there is an intruder inside. She slowly pushed the unlocked door of her house and entered.
Devon thought she was hallucinating when she saw Jacob sitting on the couch, taking off his boots. He greeted her like nothing ever happened like he wasn't missing for 4 days. She could tell by his appearance that he has been through hell. Jacob told her everything that happened, and also confessed that he is still cold and in a lot of pain. Devon immediately rushed him to the hospital.
Once Jacob was admitted and taken care of, Devon called the officials and told them to call off the search parties now, Jacob had made it home. On hearing the good news, Jacob's boss came to see him at the hospital. Jacob asked him if he still had a job, and his boss confirmed that he does have his job.
When Jacob's boss came to know he was dehydrated and starving for 4 days he asked him why did he not take the packet of potato chips from the truck for his journey. Jacob said, "It was worth money. I didn't wanna damage the property." His boss was moved by Jacob's reply. From his survival story to the reason he remained hungry all this while, his boss was beyond impressed and knew he did the right thing by hiring this man.
Once Jacob was feeling slightly better, the authorities interrogated him about the location of his abandoned truck so they could fetch it back. Jacob gave the authorities a rough idea of where he left the truck. After quite an extensive search, they managed to find the truck 21 miles away from the last GPS location and all the cargo was in perfect condition.
Once everyone had left, Jacob and Devon finally got a moment to themselves. She told him how scared she was for the past 4 days. Jacob joked about how she is not getting rid of him so easily. He believed he had learned a lot from this experience. He had a tattoo that said, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Jacob believes it defines his life now.
After being treated at the hospital, Jacob was allowed to rest and recover back at his home. Jacob had never appreciated the warmth of his bed more. He was lucky and remarkably strong for surviving the hell he had been through. Plus he was a man of honor for keeping his ground and not giving up.
Jacob was applauded by everyone for his courage and honesty. The sincerity he possesses is rare to find these days. He was stranded with no food in a truck full of food, yet he chose to honor his boss's expectations and his duty as an employee and didn't eat anything. Having survived such extreme weather conditions by himself for 4 days was incredible.
Jacob was never one of those who take their family for granted, and he was always thankful for what he had. But after this incident, he was a new man. He cherished everything he had. His wife, kids, a roof over his head and a warm bed to sleep in. Going through something so severe puts things into perspective for you. You start to see the bigger picture in life and appreciate the little things.
Man can live without food for about forty days, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope. And Jacob did not lose hope. Even when every cell in his body told him to. He kept going and that is what helped him reach home. Courage is often derived from fear. For Jacob, the fear of never seeing his family again was enough to keep him alive for 4 days without food and water in such harsh conditions.
Life is fragile and can be remarkably tough. There is an end to the horrible situations humans can find their ways into nor an end to what they can do to get out of it. With a whole lot of determination and luck, humans have been capable of enduring unrealistic episodes. Jacob's story is an inspiration for all. His strength to get through something so harsh and his instinct of not giving up on his principles is commendable, to say the least.