An 83-year-old woman died in the place she loved, her garden, doing what she loved the most: taking care of it. Martha Irene Van Egmond was found dead on Saturday at her home in Bolton, Mississippi, after spending time among her flowerbeds. According to WLBT, the Hinds County coroner believes she died from heat exposure while out working in the garden.
Her husband, Rick, shared the tragic passing in a Facebook post where he spelled out what happened. He said Martha fell in a flowerbed, and that he fell too while trying to help her up. The two of them, both elderly, were left lying in the sun, unable to get back to their feet quickly enough to reduce the sun’s effects. They were on the ground for over three hours.
Help eventually came for them, but it was too late. Fortunately, two men from the apartments behind where the couple lived noticed they had fallen and rushed over to assist. Martha was unable to survive the ordeal, however.
Her death is a difficult reminder of how dangerous the heat can be, especially for older adults, especially during a hot Mississippi summer. It’s also a reminder that a simple fall can turn deadly when someone can’t get back up. But luckily, most of these things are preventable.
Why Heat Can Hit the Elderly Harder
Heat is harder on older bodies. As we get older, the body starts cooling itself less efficiently. It sweats less and senses temperature changes more slowly. Older adults sometimes take medications for things like blood pressure or for the heart that change how the body handles heat. The thirst signal fades too, so dehydration can take hold before an older person even notices they’re thirsty.
Heat illness can also move fast. It often starts with cramps, dizziness, or heavy sweating, then climbs toward confusion and collapse if a person doesn’t cool down. In Martha’s case, a fall left her on the ground in direct sun, unable to move out of it. That’s exactly the situation that turns a hot afternoon into a deadly one.
How to Stay Safe in the Heat
A few simple habits make a real difference. But none of them mean you have to give up gardening. Get work done in the morning or evening, when the sun is lower and the air is cooler. Drink water before you head out, and keep sipping. Take breaks often, and if you notice dizziness or nausea, stop and go inside.
Another good idea is to keep a charged phone in your pocket whenever you’re outside, not left on a kitchen table indoors. For older gardeners especially, a medical alert pendant or a fall-detecting smartwatch can call for help when getting up isn’t possible. It also helps to have someone check in, a neighbor or relative who knows your routine and will notice if you’ve been out too long. Martha Van Egmond loved her garden. The kindest way to honor a loss like hers is to help the people we love keep tending theirs, safely — and take care of yourself, while you’re at it.