Luck of the flush

Ever since my dad told me the story about how my uncle won $10,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket last week, I've mentioned it in casual conversation whenever family, the lottery or luck have come up...

And then during a delicious dinner at The Melting Pot this weekend, my friend told me about Kory McFarren, the Kansas man who won $20,000 on a scratch-off twice this year.

Wow, that's really luck--Wait a sec...Haven't I written about him before? Ohhhh, that's right--he's the guy whose girlfriend was stuck in the bathroom and on the toilet for two years.

Yup. The guy involved in one of the most unbelievable stories I've ever heard struck gold twice in one year. He cashed in his winning $2 Bonus Crossword ticket Monday. (I am addicted to that crossword one, too, by the way.)

In July, McFarren received six months of probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor mistreatment of a dependent adult.

He called police in February when "something was wrong" with his girlfriend, Pam Babcock, who had essentially been living in the bathroom for the last two years and was literally stuck on the toilet for about a month. The seat had adhered to sores on her body and she underwent several months of treatment following police intervention.

McFarren said the woman developed a phobia about leaving the bathroom which stemmed from beatings she received in her childhood. To read more about the incident, click here.

Thanks, Jax!

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Literally stuck on the john

Literally stuck on the john

I cannot even do this story the justice it deserves. Please, please, please read below. This is potentially one of the most ridiculous stories I've ever heard.

Authorities in the US are trying to establish what caused a 35-year-old woman to sit on her boyfriend's toilet for so long her skin grafted to the seat.

Kansas woman Pam Babcock had to be prised off the toilet at her boyfriend Kory McFarren's house after allegedly sitting there for two years.

She was only moved when McFarren called 911 on February 27 and told police there was "something wrong" with his girlfriend.

Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple told AP there was no indication Babcock had been restrained against her will.

"She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body," Whipple said.

McFarren told police he had asked Babcock every day to please come out of the bathroom, but her reply was always: "Maybe tomorrow."

He also said he brought her food and water every day. Police found Babcock clothed and sitting on the toilet with her pants lowered to mid-thigh level.

"We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital," Whipple said. "The hospital removed it."

Ontario's City News website is reporting that McFarren may face charges in relation to the case. Questions are being asked about why the 36-year-old antique store worker didn't raise the alarm earlier.

But he insists the situation developed slowly and he had come to believe his girlfriend's behaviour wasn't strange.

"It just kind of happened one day; she went in and had been in there a little while, the next time it was a little longer. Then she got it in her head she was going to stay - like it was a safe place for her," he said.

McFarren insisted Babcock hadn't spent the entire two years on the toilet, claiming that until late January she was taking baths and changing her clothes regularly.

He says he panicked and finally called for help two weeks ago when Babcock appeared groggy after spending as much as a month sitting on the toilet. McFarren says Babcock developed a phobia about leaving the bathroom which stemmed from beatings she received in her childhood.

But despite his professions that he was caring for his partner of 16 years, authorities have indicated they are considering charging him with mistreatment of a dependent adult.

Babcock's legs atrophied (suffered muscle wastage) as a result of her sitting on the toilet for so long and it's not known if she will ever walk again.

"Maybe tomorrow"???? I really don't know what to say to this. There are so many questions I need answered here. It's so bizarre that suddenly toilet humor (in the literal or figurative sense) doesn't even seem justified.

Thanks, Matt!