A Charging Elephant, a Blur of Gray and a Moment of Clarity

As the massive form of a matriarch elephant charged angrily toward their vehicle, Evelyn Sweigart thought that was it—her final moments would end in a gray blur in the middle of her African safari.

Evelyn was having a great time on this return trip to Botswana and was in the last of four scheduled bush camps. On this evening game drive, she shared the vehicle with the driver, a spotter, and a couple from Australia and their 20-year-old daughter.

"We had been driving around and came to an area with thick vegetation on both sides of a very sandy dirt road," Evelyn says. "The vehicle we were in should never have left camp, because Speedy, our driver, was shifting into four-wheel drive with a screwdriver."

As they drove into this area, they heard an elephant trumpeting off to the left. Within minutes, a huge matriarch elephant crashed through the vegetation, charging directly at the side of the vehicle. Evelyn pondered the luck that this particular angry pachyderm had selected to charge the side of the vehicle where she was sitting. Now Evelyn's total vision had turned to "gray."

An Agonizing Game of Catch Up

The driver sped on, but the elephant continued in rapid pursuit.

Since 1979, Evelyn has taken numerous safaris, but previous encounters with elephants have never been quite so up close and personal.

"I've been mock-charged by quite a few elephants over the years, but this big girl meant business," Evelyn says.

"As the elephant cut across the rear of the vehicle, we continued down the road," she says. "Then suddenly, the vehicle stalled."

The rest of the herd then appeared through the bush and decided to join the chase behind their fearless leader.

"Now we were all screaming to Speedy that the entire herd was coming at us," Evelyn says.

While hearts raced, Speedy managed to restart the vehicle and drive on, with the elephants still in pursuit. The vehicle then stalled again. This game of catch up continued for several agonizing minutes.

"We were of course all screaming, 'They're still coming!'" Evelyn says, adding that screaming is not typical "bush etiquette."

The vehicle stalled again as the herd advanced.

Finally, the vehicle started up again.

"We got the vehicle out into the clearing and luckily the elephants gave up the charge just as the engine overheated," she says.

"Needless to say, we all survived but were obviously very shaken up," Evelyn says.

Putting a Legacy in Place

When Evelyn returned safely home to Pennsylvania, she set herself to the task of completing her will by including Hospice & Community Care to her updated estate plan.

"That gray vision will never escape my memory," she says, "and truly prompted me to finalize my legal planning with my lawyer."

Evelyn has a special place in her heart for hospice. While fighting a losing battle with cancer in 2009, her father received hospice support.

"After losing my mother in 2000, my heart was slowly breaking and I missed her every day," Evelyn says. "After my Dad's death, a large portion of my heart disappeared because he was also my best friend.

"It seems we always look back in hindsight and wish we had dealt with things in a much different manner. We can look back, but we do not make the decision as to when we lose the people we love."

Evelyn travels to Africa every year, and says she finds joy in observing nature at its best and observing animals doing what they need to survive.

"Not everyone will have the same moment of clarity that I had in the African bush," Evelyn says, "but it shouldn't take an elephant bearing down upon you to motivate you to get your plans in order."

How Will You Be Remembered?

To learn how you can include Hospice & Community Care in your estate plan, please contact Amy Lewis at (717) 735-8729 or alewis@hospicecommunity.org.