Current Events Series #5: A Woman’s Life Left in Misery
On August 3, 1975, Flora Stevens was dropped off by her husband, Robert Stevens, at a hospital, a few miles from where she worked at The Concord, an upscale hotel in upper New York State. Two hours later on that summer evening, Robert returned to pick her up. She was gone. Forty-two years later, investigators found Flora living in an assisted living home in Lowell, MA.
The aged Flora smiled politely, but did not say anything, until Rich Morgan, the Sullivan County sheriff, handed Flora a photo of herself. The photo was taken when Flora was only thirty-five years old.
Now, 78 years old and living with dementia, Flora has never been one to tell much of her backstory, but she broke out in a grin and proudly pronounced, “Me!” when she was given the photo of herself. Morgan also gave Flora a photo of her husband, which she also recognized by saying, “Robert.” The final picture Morgan showed her, she held tightly in her hand and wouldn’t let go. It was a picture of The Concord, the hotel she had once worked at.
So what happened to Flora in that 42 year span? From disappearing at a hospital, to showing up at an assisted living facility, using a different last name but same Social Security number and birth date? Caretakers at CareOne, the assisted living facility where Flora resides, spoke of Flora to be quiet about herself, even in years past. The most knowledge they could gain was that she had mentioned an abusive marriage. Morgan and police could not confirm this information. Flora had also revealed she was once a hairdresser, she grew up in Yonkers, and she had attended a Woodstock concert in 1969. Other than that, this woman’s life is a mystery.
Unfortunately, Flora has no living relatives to help reveal information of who she was or why she disappeared. “Most of the secrets are locked inside of Flora,” Sheriff Morgan said. “And I don’t think we’ll ever get them.”
While this woman’s story did make the Associated Press, it wasn’t on breaking news, nor was it the top trending story on social media. The world is still spinning and politics and chaos take precedence. What makes this woman’s story notable is her ability to disappear. Whatever she was dealing with during the time she vanished from her husband and her reality, she quite possibly succeeded in something that we all long to achieve. To escape reality.
Just skimming through the news every morning for even five minutes will consistently produce a wave of negative stories scattered across the headlines. We as humans are constantly bombarded by society and personal issues, and issues of those around us and who are close to us. Some days, it just feels too much to handle. The daily stress, the daily worries, our work, school, home life, and we all just wish we could snap our fingers and simply disappear from reality.
The unfortunate truth is no one will ever know what really happened to Flora Stevens, what she was running from, if she was running at all. Was she lonely for the past 42 years? Was she happy? How did she get the courage to break free from her troubles? Did she really escape the reality she wanted to run from? All of these questions pop up when reading more into Flora’s story, not that it is a detailed or long story to begin with. But it is her story.
Our minds are constantly being plagued with the worldly issues at large, but learning from Flora, sometimes it helps to take a step back from reality and look around at those closest to you. Look into the mirror at yourself. Directing our focus on a more centered concept can bring reality into a better perspective for us as a society. This focus could very well help us feel more established in life, more confident in ourselves, and more motivated to help others with their problems.
Running away might be the solution, but it pains me to think that Flora could have suffered through these problems she was facing on her own. If what she revealed about being in an abusive relationship was true, I give her much credit for waking up and leaving that situation. It takes a strong person to stand up for yourself and leave what you know is bad for you, what is tearing you apart from the inside.
Looking at Flora now, plagued by the disease of dementia which affects memory and motor functions of daily living, it sends sorrow through my veins, wondering if she is trapped in her own mind from memories she could not share with anyone. What did she see in life? What did she experience?
What we can take away from Flora is the idea to have courage. Have faith in yourself, to prove to yourself that you are worth happiness. You are worth so much in this life. If something is dragging you down, you deserve better. But the key is, you shouldn’t have to go through it alone. How many silent sufferers do we pass every day throughout our busy schedules, those who quietly suffer on the inside, battling pain and self-doubt, but smiling on the outside, acting as though all is well. We need to look to our neighbors, our friends, our family, and let them know, we are human too.
Despite the fighting, destruction, differences, and competition that seems to underlie society, we need to admit to ourselves that we are all equal. We are all human. We all have hearts, we all have feelings, we all long for happiness and love, and not all of us can escape reality. It is time to make reality, something we want to live, something we enjoy being in, rather than searching for ways to escape. It is time to work together and help one another to solve these issues that burn inside us and make us feel dragged down. Don’t live in silence, with your story remaining locked inside of you. Don’t go about life alone. Remember, we are all human.
Works Cited
Hill, Michael. “She recognized her own photo, but can’t account for 42 years.” MSN.com, 13 Nov. 2017.