31 Real-Life “Third Man Syndrome” Experiences That Are Warping My Understanding Of Reality Completely

10.

“My dad was in the hospital, and we were talking on the phone. A few minutes into the conversation, my dad said his nurse wanted to talk to me. A man got on the phone, said his name was David, and said my dad wasn’t in very good shape. I asked what was wrong. He said my dad wasn’t getting his meals or meds regularly at home. I was shocked and devastated. My dad remarried some years before, after having lived with the woman for over a decade. I had met her and her daughter numerous times over the years and thought they were decent folks. But, something was horribly wrong.”

“The nurse asked me if I had power of attorney (P.O.A.) and other important documents for my dad, and I told him no. He said I needed to ‘get to the hospital today’ and get the paperwork done. My anxiety immediately went off the charts, knowing it was a long drive to get to my dad, and knowing I had to get on the road immediately. I told the nurse how far away I lived, and he emphasized that I needed to get there as soon as possible.

My husband and I agreed that I would get on the road that day, drive as far as I safely could, then get a hotel room and continue on the next day. It was close to 10 p.m. when I left home. I managed to drive four hours before I called it a night, and arrived at the hospital around 10 a.m. the next morning.

My father’s wife (who had not called to tell me my dad was in the hospital) was startled when I walked in. She began rambling about why she hadn’t called me. I brushed her excuses off nicely and engaged her and my dad in pleasant conversation while trying to get more details. After his wife left, my dad and I discussed the situation. He said he was being pretty much starved and deprived of his meds daily, and there was criminal activity going on in the house since his stepdaughter had moved in with him and his wife the year before. We discussed an action plan, and he agreed that he wanted and needed specific documents in place naming me as his P.O.A., executor of his will, and more.

After talking to my dad’s doctors, I wanted to thank the nurse who had alerted me to the seriousness of the situation. The doctors didn’t know who he was, so I asked the other nurses on duty. None of them knew who I was talking about. They said there were no male nurses on duty the previous day or even the day before that, and they also said that they had no male nurses named David on their current roster.

I thought it was strange that no one knew Nurse David, but the thought moved to the back of my mind because the focus was on getting the paperwork completed before my dad’s wife and her family returned. A family friend worked for an attorney about 10 miles from the hospital. She printed and delivered the documents before dinner, and thankfully, we were able to get everything signed and notarized before the others returned.

The next day, I went back to the hospital to visit my dad again. Once more, I tried to get details about nurse David, and again, no one knew who he was.”

—Anonymous