About the middle of June, 2001, while serving our mission in England, our group of about 110 missionaries, traveled from the Accommodation Center at the London Temple, to Warwick Castle on one of our P-Days. Upon our arrival the missionaries went different directions to view the many parts of the huge castle. Myrna and I decided to climb Guy's Tower first. In the accompanying photo, Guy's Tower is the look-out on the left front corner of the castle. There are 122 steps spiraling up. We arrived at the top after a few "rest stops" it being a not, humid day. We eventually arrived at the top and surveyed the surrounding countryside. After finishing our "inspection" of the surrounding area, we climbed back down the steps. All 122 of them. At least it was down hill now. When we arrived back down on the ground, Myrna said, "Let's go see the Dungeon rooms now." I told her I need a trip to the rest room first, so she headed on to the Dungeon and I told her I would meet her there in a few minutes. Upon leaving the rest room I saw Myrna and some of our missionaries sitting on a low, rock wall visiting. I sat down by them to visit a minute and the next thing I knew I was lying flat of my back out on the lawn with a ring of people looking down at me and some man kneeling down by me taking my pulse. I later learned he was a doctor visiting from Sweden. I had passed out while sitting on the rock wall and had been carried out on the lawn. About that time I heard a siren on a vehicle entering the castle grounds. It was an ambulance someone had called when I passed out. I was taken to a hospital where a doctor checked me out me from top to bottom. He reported he could not find a thing wrong with me. His report was that he felt I had experienced heat exhaustion from climbing Guy's Tower. He told us that it was very common during the summer for people climbing the tower to experience heat exhaustion. In fact, he told us that they had even lifted climbers from the top of the tower by helicopter. He told me he wanted to keep me in the hospital for a couple of days to give me a closer check. He asked if I had ever had blood clots. I told him I had a couple of times some years before. He told me, for some reason, he felt like I should be checked for clots. I was sent to another hospital, where they had the equipment to check for clots. Myrna took a taxi back to the castle so she could ride back home with the missionaries. They did find a clot in one of my legs. I was placed in a bed in the hospital and started on blood thinner. I was left me there for a two week stay in an English hospital that reminded me of World War II hospital I had seen on TV. The next day two LDS Missionaries assigned to that area of England came by and gave me a blessing which I appreciated very much. My experience in the hospital was positive other than the head nurse was a tough one. Apparently, the hospital was operated by the Church of England and she was in complete control. She had told Myrna she could call me occasionally but to call and then give her 15 minutes to get the phone to me and call back. The phone was mounted on a wooden box looking thing that was rolled to where ever it was needed and plugged in. This one time Myrna called and then called back in about 13 minutes and was chewed out by the head nurse for calling back too soon. When it was time for me to be released one of the missionary couples and Myrna drove over to get me. It was about a three hour drive. When I asked the hospital people how much I owed them they asked how long I had been in England and I told them fifteen months and they told me I owned them nothing. Since I had been in England more than twelve months my stay was covered by their National Medical Insurance. I was certainly happy to be back with Myrna and our Missionary work. Written by Raymond.
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