81-year-old Gary “Mac” McPherson had been sitting inside his home with his wife, enjoying a cup of coffee in a heavy wooden chair when the completely unexpected happened.
They were swept away by the freak muslide that happened in Arlington, Washington on Saturday.
Trapped underneath the mud, with a ceiling beam laid across his lap, he had only the use of his right hand. He used part of his splintered chair to start digging his way out, all the time calling out for his wife.
In a recent interview, Gary’s daughter, Kate, opened up about what was going through his mind at the time disaster struck:
“He doesn’t remember the impact of the mud. He doesn’t remember the house going across the pasture…. He took six breaths and calmed himself down. He thought, and he started digging.”
Eventually people found him, but unfortunately his wife did not survive this tragedy. So sad.
Kate described her father’s mood, and how he’s holding up:
“He’s physically doing pretty good. But he lost the love of his life. They were married 46 years. Emotionally, he can’t believe this is happening. He’s going to have to start life all over again.”
Our hearts go out to Gary and his family during this tough time!
