BUNKER HILL, Ind. – RV Dynasty owner Eddie Stage said he hardly ever stays at his RV-and-truck lot after the dealership closes at 6 p.m. But on Tuesday, he decided to stick around to tinker with his boat in the back of his shop located on U.S. 31 near Bunker Hill.
As chance would have it, that decision likely ended up saving the life of an 18-year-old girl with severe cerebral palsy.
Debbie and Terry Kreft said they were driving their granddaughter, Taiya, back home to Claypool after spending a week at Riley’s Children Hospital in Indianapolis, where she was treated for a lung virus and a bowel blockage.
The couple has made the trip to Riley countless times in the last 18 years with Taiya, who was born extremely premature, weighing just 14 ounces and measuring just 8-inches long. That left her blind, mentally handicap and unable to breath without constant support from a ventilator.
When Tiaya travels to the hospital, that ventilator is powered by the battery in the Kreft’s van.
But on Tuesday, the van’s battery died as they drove back home, leaving only a 12-volt battery to power the ventilator. The battery was only partially charged, which meant Tiaya only had a couple of hours before the machine quite, leaving her unable to breathe.
Debbie said they noticed something was wrong just north of Kokomo when the van’s turn signals stopped working. Then the vehicle made a strange sound and completely died.
“When you’re out in the boonies and there isn’t anyone to call and you don’t know if an ambulance will come, it’s terrifying,” she said. “I was praying and I was scared. I thought, ‘What are we going to do with no power?’”
Just up ahead, Terry saw a sign for RV Dynasty, and the van had just enough speed to slowly coast into the parking lot. He jumped out and ran to the door, but the sign said dealership had closed at 6 p.m. They were 15 minutes too late.
But Terry he decided to try the door just in case. Sure enough, it swung open.
“I looked around and didn’t see anybody, so I yelled, ‘Is anybody here?’” he said.
Stage said he heard Terry yelling from the back of his shop and came up front to see what was going on.
Terry quickly explained the situation and asked Stage if he sold van batteries. He didn’t, and all the batteries inside his RVs were dead from sitting on the lot all winter.
But Stage made them another offer. He said they could just take one of his trucks and drive home.
“He didn’t hesitate to loan that truck, and he didn’t know us from anyone,” Debbie said. “He never even saw how bad Tiaya really was before he loaned us the truck. He trusted and believed us before he even saw her.”
In no time, they had Tiaya in the back seat, where she could lay down. Stage made sure to give them the biggest truck he had so she had as much space as possible.
Terry hooked up the ventilator via the truck’s cigarette lighter, and they loaded her wheelchair in the bed. Within an hour, they were back home in Claypool, where Tiaya was safe and sound.
The next morning, Terry and his son in-law drove the truck back to Bunker Hill and dropped it off at the dealership.
Debbie said what could have turned into a life-or-death situation for her granddaughter was solved within minutes thanks to Stage’s spontaneous generosity.
“I think he really was our guardian angel,” she said. “He said he didn’t know why he was still there, but we’re so thankful he was. Everything just fell into place.”
Stage said he also felt like he was part of a bigger plan.
“This time of year, I’m never there that late,” he said. “I’ve been scooting out 5 or 5:30 p.m. a lot lately because we haven’t been busy, but God has a way that he works and that was definitely one of them. I’m just glad to be a little a part it.”
For Terry, the incident was reminder that there are still generous and caring people left in the world.
“God sure stopped us at the right spot,” he said. “It’s one of those things. It seems like you hardly hear of people like Eddie anymore.”