LAS VEGAS – A 76-year-old diabetic Colorado man survived 10 days in the remote Nevada desert by melting snow and using skills he learned as a Boy Scout, but a friend who was with him and ventured away to get help died.

James Klemovich and Laszlo Szabo, 75, went to scope out some mines in the state when their car became stuck on a road with no cell phone service, Klemovich’s wife said Thursday.

The men tried unsuccessfully to dislodge the car, and lit flares and started fires in hopes somebody would see them in northwestern Nevada’s Pershing County.

They used a towel in the car to strain ditch water and snow into water bottles, but, after four or five days, Szabo left to get help.

Joanne Klemovich said she was expecting the worst when authorities called Tuesday to say her husband had been found by military personnel who were holding training exercises.

“I thought it was bad news, but it was very good news,” she said from the couple’s home in Littleton, Colo. “I didn’t know what to even do or say.”

James Klemovich has diabetes, wears a pacemaker and had a triple bypass heart surgery, his wife said.

He told her he wasn’t panicking while he sat for days waiting for Szabo’s return, she said. He kept a journal, noting how much water he drank and what he did each day. And he wrote a letter each day for her.

Drinking regularly was likely the biggest factor in his survival despite the diabetes that could have sent his blood sugar dangerously out of whack, according to Rita Kalyani, who teaches endocrinology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

During a fast, she said, the body can draw glucose from the liver or from fat stores to keep levels from dropping too low. But having enough water is essential to flush out excess glucose and prevent levels from rising too high.

When the military personnel found Klemovich, they gave him a banana, two oranges and three boiled eggs, he told his wife.

 

Copy the Story Link