Can one survive for almost a week eating only croissants and cookies? Yes, apparently. Jerry Jouret, an 81-year-old retired former NASA employee, is indeed living proof.
Last Feb. 24, the man was returning to Nevada to his wife after leaving his mountain home in Big Pine, California. Also waiting for him were his beloved grandchildren – but in vain, as Jerry was suddenly lost track of for days.
It was supposed to be a four-hour drive, but just half an hour after leaving his home in Big Pine, Jerry’s SUV flooded on a smaller road and got stuck in a snowdrift 90 cm high.
The 81-year-old, however, kept his cool and put into practice what he had learned from the many episodes of Survivor he had watched with his wife Sharon. Thus, using a small blanket and bath towel found in the car, Jerry, who was wearing only a light windbreaker, kept warm.
Water was remedied by the much surrounding snow, while for nourishment he fed himself on the few uneaten things he had in the car – mostly croissants and cookies. In addition, by regularly turning off the car, the mathematician managed to conserve battery power for three and a half days.
The situation became critical, however, when Jerry’s car battery failed – two days before his rescue – making him much more exposed to cold and possible hypothermia due to nighttime temperatures well below freezing. Last March 9, however, the happiest ending occured: helicopters spotted Jerry’s car and rescued him.
“The whole thing was just a miracle,” his grandson told the BBC. “I cried a lot myself. I didn’t realise how much we take these things for granted.”
