Tonight on 20/20 ` Struck down by a mystery disease. I was too scared to sleep that night cos I thought I might not wake up. Driven by the fear of its return and the love of her children. I thought if I saw my child lying there like that, it would have been devastating. She's showing her mettle in one of the toughest events around. Ever felt like you're going to crack at work? BANGING Blue-collar, white-collar ` everyone is getting hot under the collar. I bottled it up, bottled it up all day. Finally my glass jar just shattered. The mega winners... His biggest purchase? I would say... my NASCAR team. ...and the mega losers. I pretty much lost everything I held dear in my life. Captions by TVNZ Access Services www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013 Kia ora. I'm Sonia Wilson. Kathy Eggers, a nurse and a mum of three was only 33 when she was struck by a rare illness which gradually paralysed her from the neck down. Guillain-Barre syndrome can strike after some types of infections, but, really, there is no proven cause. With treatment she slowly recovered, but when Kathy's specialist gave her some news that she didn't want to hear, Kathy made a decision that would push her body to its absolute limits. And her children were there every step of the way. Here's Emma Keeling with Kathy's story. GENTLE MUSIC There's the house. There's the bike. There's Mum. And she's ready to go for an Ironman. Is she gonna win? Is she gonna win? Probably come third. < Third. That's pretty good, isn't it? So, can you remember, when your Mum got sick, what kind of stuff couldn't she do? She couldn't walk very properly. Her arms weren't working so good. Well, I had to make her breakfast and make my sisters', also. And then I had to, like, take them to school. Could she give you a hug? Yeah, but not very well. Like, only very short like... Yeah, she couldn't do pretty much anything. Sad. GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES Six years ago, Korbin, Samara and Carlee watched their mum slowly become paralysed from the neck down. At the end of the day, I was just pleased that it was me there, not my children. That would have been harder to deal with. I thought if I saw my child lying there like that,... it would have been devastating. UPBEAT MUSIC Did you have a nice time at Lachie's? Did you have a nice time at Lachie's? We went in the swimming pool. Oh, I knew I'd get ya. Darrell Eggers still can't believe his wife, Kathy, can now walk. She's come a very long way. Um, I tend to sometimes forget how far she's come. And what you'll soon see her attempt is quite incredible,... I still can't believe I'm doing something as insane as that, to be honest. ..because Kathy lives with a disease which causes her immune system to attack her nervous system ` CHILDREN SQUEAL ...a disease that requires a combination of drugs and blood transfusions to allow her to live a relatively normal life. Oh, you'll lose your bits, boy. (LAUGHS) It started with a weakness in her right arm and shoulder. Kathy put it down to lifting kids and over-exercise. Her first collapse is still fresh in Samara's mind. She was walking Korbin to school, and Carlee and I were in the pram, and she just fell on the road. Do you remember that? > Do you remember that? > Mm-hm. Were you scared? > Were you scared? > Yes. I didn't know what to do. PENSIVE MUSIC KATHY: Girls, are you ready? For six weeks, her body had been deteriorating. Doctors were puzzled. And I was struggling to hold a pen, struggling to hold a cup of coffee. See you. It was this spot where her life crumbled beneath her. And we'd just come down this little decline and gone to go up the wee rise in the road, but there was just no strength in my legs to get up the incline. And I just, sort of, lurched on to the pram and that, sort of, carried us across the rest of the road. So your legs had just, sort of, given way? I couldn't really feel my legs. It was like walking on stilts, really. Kathy was admitted to Hawke's Bay Hospital, where she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome ` GBS. There's nothing you can do to prevent getting Guillain-Barre. I was devastated, because I knew too much about it already. Sometimes being a nurse is definitely not an advantage, because immediately I was fearful that, you know, I could end up on a ventilator that night, and I hadn't had a chance to... um, prepare my children or my husband. I was too scared to sleep that night because I thought I might, um,... I might not wake up. PENSIVE MUSIC It was hard to shield the kids from the truth. My son was at school, and there was this story he was read about a` some penguins, and the mother penguin died because her arms and legs didn't work. And he got upset because here he was ` his mum's arms and legs didn't work, and so he thought his mum was gonna die. Kathy was eventually diagnosed with a chronic form of GBS. After six months you were paralysed from the neck down. That must have been terrifying. It was terrifying. Near October that year, that` my breathing was being monitored twice a day. And those were our darkest days, really. I couldn't have gone downhill any further. Did you think you were going to lose her? Yeah, it did cross my mind a couple of times. Yeah. Um, especially when she was in ICU. Yep. Pretty tough. In these photos, Kathy could barely move her arms and legs. Drugs and transfusions kept her stable. How many times did you have to learn how to walk again? At least three times I had to completely relearn to walk. As an adult, it's huge. WHIMSICAL MUSIC Husband Darrell's role changed dramatically. I learned how to apply makeup, which I never thought I'd have to do. Um, I learned, yeah, how to shave under your arms. So, no, I learned a lot, actually. (LAUGHS) So I guess that's one positive, if you want to look at it like that. But no, it was it was difficult. It was very difficult, even when she was at home. It was great to have her home, but it was` it was a lot of work. A daily goal would be to walk from the bedroom to the lounge. How long would this`? It's not very far ` about 6m, 7m. It's the equivalent energy usage to running a marathon. She refused to stay in bed. The couch was her base. My little one would be picked up and put on my legs for a cuddle, and she was just 2. And she was doing a dance and fell and cut herself on the edge of the table. And I couldn't` I couldn't go to grab her or stop it. And then I couldn't even hug her to make it better. And then I couldn't even take her up to the hospital to get it stitched up. So we had several incidents like that which really, I guess, drove me to carry on and push the boundaries and be able to look after my kids. Kathy shows me how difficult life was on crutches and with limited use of her hands. How long would it take you to make a cup of tea? How long would it take you to make a cup of tea? That would be a day's job. You don't like talking about this, do you? You don't like talking about this, do you? Not at all... No. Why? Do you block this from your mind? I do. I totally block it because I know it can come back. I could be in that position again. Um, but then I-I don't want to` You can't live in fear. CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC But she does live in hope ` hope that the GBS might just disappear. With the help of drugs and regular transfusions, slowly, Kathy got her body back. UPLIFTING MUSIC She began exercising, competed in triathlons, even a couple of half Ironmans. Kathy was feeling good, until a visiting specialist gave her some bad news. When he said there was no-no chance of me going into remission, that was pretty heartbreaking, really. No remission meant a lifetime of drugs and transfusions and the fear that they might stop working, so she was determined to do what she could, while she could. And we drove, you know, the four-hour drive home, and I said to my husband ` it was a very quiet drive home. And I just said, 'That's it. I'm doing Ironman, and don't growl at me for doing it.' No, it's a huge regime of running and cycling and swimming and, you know, and other things as well. Um, so it was, yeah, it was that fear of whether she was gonna cope or not, um, and whether it was gonna bring on anything. Did you really have any chance of telling her no? Did you really have any chance of telling her no? No. No. Not in the slightest. No. Yeah, no. She` When she sets her mind on something within reason, she'll do it. It was put to me, but I really didn't have a choice, no. Your husband calls you stubborn. Your husband calls you stubborn. That's probably putting it nicely from him. (LAUGHS) But that's what's got you this far. But that's what's got you this far. Yeah. And I call it perseverance, eh, Emma? Yeah. LAIDBACK RAP MUSIC Coming up ` will Kathy's body withstand the pressure of an Ironman? She's never done this course. I'm scared. She's hoping she'll make it before, um, before midnight, when she needs a glowstick. And if you don't make it at midnight, then you're disqualified. a Welcome back. When Kathy Eggers decided to do the Taupo Ironman, she had the full support of her young family. But they didn't know how long it would take her, or, in fact, if she'd be reduced to crawling across the finish line on her hands and knees. Here's Emma Keeling with part two of Kathy's remarkable story. WHIMSICAL MUSIC My mum's just had her last training session ` big training session ` and this is the way she recovers. WHIMSICAL MUSIC CONTINUES When did you decide an Ironman was a good thing to do? I still can't believe I'm doing something as insane as that, to be honest. It won't become real until the day, until I'm surrounded by hundreds of other crazy people. SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA'S 'DON'T YOU WORRY, CHILD' Kathy Eggers struggles with a disease which attacks her nervous system. If there's no chance that I can cause myself to go into a relapse from doing all of this, why stop? So yeah, that's, I guess, one of the driving things is to do it all while you can, and why not? A bad training day is nothing compared to what you've been through? Yeah, that's right. And that's every day that I'm out there, or in the, you know, cruddiest weather, and it doesn't even compare with learning to walk again. I'll be your support crew. Kathy's a goal-setter. Jeepers. The stronger she got, the bigger the goals. Well, don't wait around; just do it. MUSIC CONTINUES Coach Ken Maclaren has been careful with her training, although Kathy reckons he's been overcautious. What's the thing you've had to coach her most about? Not doing too much. Holding her back has been my hardest job, and as a coach, that's been the biggest issue between us. She's been desperate, at times, to do more, but for me it was the need to work within her reality, and obviously her condition was part of that reality. If I had a good coach, he'd have a towel ready for me. Do you have to deal with the effects of the disease every day? Do you have to deal with the effects of the disease every day? I try to ignore them, to an extent. I'll put up with being a bit clumsy and things like that until it gets to a-a-a level that I really` it sort of wakes me up, so I try to manage things and-and then my drugs are increased and things like that. ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC Hiya, Debbie. She hates to admit she's sick,... See? Couldn't feel it. Knew my hands were cruddy. A good day is when I can feel it. ...but it is her reality. Here's the blood. Every three to four weeks she has a white blood cell transfusion. So that stops the disease from attacking you? Yeah, it's like flooding my system. So we flood my system with good cells so my bad white cells don't destroy my nervous system. My immune system's just too strong. Feisty like you? Feisty like you? Yeah, a little bit. I'll win, though, in the end. Kathy's determination to live her life on her terms is what's got her this far. So, you just got a text message from Ken. Tell me what it said. He reckons I should have another rest day tomorrow. That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? > That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? > I'm sure we can negotiate something. Why don't you want to have a rest day when you're knackered? > Why don't you want to have a rest day when you're knackered? > I think I have... I've followed his rules, to the tee, actually. What's wrong with having a rest day? You know, it's like a sense of failure, really. I've let that interrupt with my training. (LAUGHS) You're out of control. You are out of control. (LAUGHS) GENTLE MUSIC Back at home, the kids are feeling confident about their mum's Ironman chances. She started doing triathlons, and then she got quite good at it. And` But she kept on coming last all the time. And then now she's like middle of the pack, and sometimes she's even fourth or third now. I'll get there nearly at 7 o'clock where she starts, and then gonna write some things like, 'Go, Kathy'. < And say, 'Go, Mum,' too. < And say, 'Go, Mum,' too. Mm. But what if it`? What if another mum thinks it's me? < That's true. You better say, 'Go, Kathy,' then, huh? < That's true. You better say, 'Go, Kathy,' then, huh? Yeah. < Yeah, good thinking. You're smart. < Yeah, good thinking. You're smart. But what if there's another Kathy`? Kathy? < 'Go, Kathy E'? Shall we put Kathy E? < 'Go, Kathy E'? Shall we put Kathy E? Yeah. What are you gonna say to your mum when she crosses that finish line? What are you gonna say to your mum when she crosses that finish line? Uh, just wait until she's alive, and then say that you did it. Are you excited about the Ironman? > Yeah... I am... I am if I don't think about it too much. (LAUGHS) Yeah, I'm excited about it. I'm excited about how I'm gonna go. I'm excited about meeting another challenge. So excited about making that finish line. Um, can't imagine what it will be like. MACKLEMORE'S 'CAN'T HOLD US' After two years of training, the day of Kathy's first Ironman arrives. Morning. Conditions are perfect in Taupo for the 7am start. How are the nerves? How are the nerves? Um, fine. I'm just having a big training day today. (LAUGHS) That's a good way to look at it. (LAUGHS) That's a good way to look at it. Yeah. First, a 4km swim. You ready? You ready? Oh, look, it flashed. Kathy's done the training and is mentally strong, but her body needs to be on her side for a change. GUNSHOT # This is the moment. Tonight is the night. # We'll fight till it's over, so we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us. # Like the ceiling can't hold us. Kathy hits her target time on the swim. Now for 180 K on the bike in strength-sapping heat. # Like the ceiling can't hold us. # Like the ceiling can't hold us. How big can you cheer? Let's have a listen. One, two, three. Go, Mum! Go, Mum! (SQUEALS) That was terrible. What happened to you? ALL: Go, Mum! Go, Mum! Go, Mum! Looking good. ANNOUNCER: 640 is Kathy from Napier. MUSIC CONTINUES Too hot. We'll see what happens. She's been going for eight hours, so can her body handle the final 42km run? CHEERING, APPLAUSE Show us the tattoos. 'Legend'. And 'Number One Mum'. Nice work. And where are your tats? No tats?! What kind of a supporter are you? Doing well. Keep going. You're doing well. The family gather at the finish line. # Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. # KEN: Don't stop, Kath. This is your coach talking. CHEERING, APPLAUSE ALL LAUGH Why am I crying? 12 hours and 18 minutes; it's an incredible time. Can you believe you've done it? Can you believe you've done it? I... I knew I was gonna do it today. Everything just went right. There was no doubt at all. You didn't hit the wall once. There was no doubt at all. You didn't hit the wall once. No. I knew I'd suck it up. Yeah. What does it mean to finish ` after all this training, after everything you've been through? I worked so hard. I did, and I gave it heaps today. And I was thinking out there about the... the learning to walk when my quads now were clamming up, I just thought, 'It doesn't matter. They're there. I know they're there, and I'm gonna... 'they're gonna get me there.' So I'm stoked. She did it. But it's the hugs that mean the most to this Ironmum. A-mazing. Kathy's time placed her in the top half of the entire field and 12th for her age group. That's not bad for a first attempt. If you would like to find out more about Guillain-Barre syndrome, please see our Facebook page for details. Right, next up on 20/20 ` ever thought you were going to lose it at work? If you had more people saying, 'Hey, I think you're doing a swell job. I think you're doing a great job', you wouldn't have these people freaking out like me. The former game store clerk, Dave Hiner, says those workplace tantrums are nothing less than a desperate cry for dignity. (CLAMOURS HYSTERICALLY) Do we need more cycle lanes in our cities? How do we avoid power cuts in winter? UPBEAT MUSIC If you didn't do your census online and your paper forms haven't been collected, send them to us in the envelope provided, because you count. a Welcome back. What happens when workers snap? Workplace pressure is pushing people over the edge. White-collar workers, blue-collar workers ` it seems everyone is getting hot under the collar. So what's behind the explosion in cubicle warfare? Why is the workplace turning in to a war zone? UPBEAT MUSIC What's new in the world of 9-to-5 will make you wanna call 911. YouTube makes it look like the American workforce is on the edge of a nervous breakdown ` workers of the world rising up against infuriating workplace oppression, the tyranny of bulky computers, paperless printers and annoying co-workers. I think there's a lot of rage. Now, many of these videos are fake. Some are clever viral marketing campaigns. This is really an ad for office chairs. But all of these online videos tap into something real, something buried deep in the psyche of the modern worker ` let's call it cubicle rage. Organisational psychologist Ben Dattner says white-collar, blue-collar, everyone's hot under the collar. What is it all about? What is it all about? The rewards of economic gains have gone, as we all know, to fewer rather than more people in society in general, and when people perceive inequity, they're likely to feel angry, likely to wanna take retributive steps. He means revenge. Now, check this out. This is why you don't buy an iPad from Walmart. This video was posted in the last 24 hours. You're watching the night-shift workers at a Kentucky Walmart play a game of catch with the merchandise, tossing around boxed iPads as if this were a game of football. I think the next one's gonna hit the ground. Oh! How disgruntled do you have to be to take this much delight at damaging company property? We called Walmart tonight, and the company said,... It can be even worse for those who have to deal with the public, especially in the pressure cooker of fast food. <BLEEP>! <BLEEP>! <BLEEP>! This fried fried-chicken-restaurant worker is a hit online. But the most appalling example comes from Iowa. A pizza delivery turns ugly when the customer fails to tip the driver. He comes back and turns her front door into a urinal. These are people who have to say, 'Have a nice day' every single time they deal with one of us. I mean, a lot of people in those customer-facing roles have to be actors and actresses, and that can be very onerous, burdensome and problematic for certain people who, when pushed to a certain point, can really break. How was your day? Dave Hiner worked in a well-known video-game chain store in New York. A co-worker captured his state of mind the day after Christmas 2009. Anger, frustration was building through the day. I was trying to be very polite to the people as they came and went. And pretty much as soon as we locked the door and the switch went off, I just lost it. Hiner says he was joking, sort of, but he says he truly had had it with the customers and his manager. 'Oh my God! It's the best game ever! Mommy, can I have this?' 'No!' 'No? How about this one?' 'No!' 'No?' 'No!' 'No? How about this one?' 'No!' 'No?' 'No!' MAN LAUGHS I bottled it up, bottled it up all day, and finally my glass jar just shattered and out it came. And I don't regret it for a second. Hiner says that on-camera meltdown was nothing compared to what came soon after, when the boss wanted to write him up for slow sales. I said, 'I'm not signing this. I've had enough of your company. 'If you, at the end of the day, are gonna fire me, I'll quit and save myself the trouble.' And I just built up with anger, and I was just ripped straight open. I pretty much just ripped my shirt in half. I was, like, I'm done with the company. I ripped it, ripped it straight down the middle. Just boom. I said, 'This is what I think of you guys.' Took it off, said, 'You can take your job, shove it,' threw it in his face and walked. Destruction and drama ` it happens as easily in the boardroom as it does in the break room. Take it from one of the stars of the business reality show Shark Tank, billionaire Mark Cuban. I had a partner who was the exact opposite of me, which worked well 99% of the time, but there were times when we'd close the door behind us sometimes and just have knock-down, drag-out screaming matches because we disagreed about how to do business. But why is it that grown adults can act like children in the office? The workplace is a powerful social situation, so we come to react to each other as if we were pseudo-siblings, as if our boss was a pseudo-parent. A workplace can be a big happy family, or the workplace can be a big dysfunctional family. When your office is a classroom, it's inevitable that your colleagues are going to act like children, but sometimes it is the grown-up in the room with issues. Modesto High, California. The class ` Algebra Two. The problem ` anger management.' I just saw you sitting there, pulling it off. What's wrong with you? And the bad behaviour isn't limited to all these videos on YouTube. According to one survey, 42% of people are exposed to yelling and verbal abuse on the job; 29% admit abusing their co-workers, and 10% say they've actually been exposed to physical violence. Look like somebody done slice your face up. Look like somebody done slice your face up. LAUGHTER Anger on the job can sneak up on you. One day ` whammo. You're going to jail! You're going to jail! SCREAMING Like getting hit by a bus, or in this case, getting hit on the bus. This video cost a Cleveland bus driver his job. You'll see why. You want to be a man, I'm gonna treat you like a man. The woman is OK, but that driver ` he is so fired. But what will go down in history as the most classic 'I quit'? Just kind of went with it. So fed up after 20 years as a flight attendant, he activated the plane's emergency chute at JFK Airport and said, 'See you later' to his career. This was a dramatic exit. Who hasn't been overworked, underpaid, outsourced, isn't stressed? It's very resonant of where we are as a culture and a country in that moment and still are. If you want to keep an eye on whether things are likely to improve, all you have to do is watch the unemployment rate. With the economy in the state that it's in and jobs as scarce as they are, that's got to increase stress. Absolutely. Absolutely. As well as bad behaviour. When they feel economically dependent on their job, they're likely to be more rigid, more political, more regressed, more emotional. If we had more people saying, 'Hey, I think you're doing a swell job, I think you're doing a great job,' you wouldn't have these people freaking out like me. Former game-store clerk Dave Hiner says those workplace tantrums are nothing less than a desperate cry for dignity, an angry anthem for the underpaid, underappreciated worker. And he says more people should try it. Oh, man, you still got no FIFA! They got no FIFA! I say just let it out. Tell them how you truly feel. Come out of there! FIFA! Come out of there! FIFA! LAUGHTER Nothing like that happens in our office, of course. Next on 20/20 ` from mega winners to mega losers. Be careful what you wish for. After getting an unbelievable gift on Christmas Day, 2002,... $314 million. ...Jack confesses that the wheel of fortune turned against him hard. My wife has said she wished that she'd torn the ticket up. Well, I wish that we had torn the ticket up too. His marriage crumbled. He started hanging out at strip clubs. And just like King Midas, his fortune cost him a loved one. a Welcome back. Lotto secrets, mega millionaires, tales from those who've won and from those who've lost it all. Dreaming of winning the big one? Well be careful what you wish for. Tonight we meet with some winners that turned into big-time losers. It's a tale as old as Aesop ` dreams of instant riches coming true in a flash.' The new million-dollar-winners in Missouri ` the Hill family. Come on up! And today a mechanic from Dearborn, Missouri, a newly minted Midas, went public. There was a second winner of the $588 million mega jackpot. Who else had the magic Powerball touch? Could it be this ecstatic guy spotted in a Maryland gas station? The mystery winner has yet to come forward. So, what if you strike lottery gold? Pay heed to these tales of riches and ruin. First, the tale of a regular Joe, unemployed construction-worker Joe Denette. He confesses he went on an obscene spending spree after winning more than $75 million. If I can win, anybody can win. It does have the... He quickly blew through 20 million bucks. Joe confesses he splurged on grown-up toys most guys only dream of. This is my toy. A fleet of ATVs, a boat, six houses. We call that end of the house the east wing. Lots of fancy cars, and for wife, Megan, a 4-carat diamond. But his biggest purchase? I would say my NASCAR team. ROCK MUSIC Joe admits he's nearly blown through half his riches in about three years, but he's not troubled. We don't have to worry about money. We don't. Joe admits he's yet to see the downside. It's nice to be able to get up in the morning and say, 'I don't have to go to work.' Maybe Joe should heed the cautionary tale of Jack Whittaker. After getting an unbelievable gift on Christmas Day 2002,... ...for $314 million. ...Jack confesses that the wheel of fortune turned against him hard. My wife has said she wishes that she had torn the ticket up. Well, I wish that we had torn the ticket up too. His marriage crumbled; he started hanging out at strip clubs; and just like King Midas, his fortune cost him a loved one. Jack's beloved 17-year-old granddaughter Brandi, who he showered with cash, was found dead after descending into heavy drug use with her boyfriend. I pretty much lost everything I held dear in my life. BALLS RATTLE The fabled lottery win has been kinder to Alexandra Chaar, a waitress still working after striking it rich. She remembers telling her boyfriend. I went inside, and I asked him... (SIGHS) if he had any doubts about me. And he said, 'I'm gonna marry you one day. Everything's gonna be OK.' And then I said, 'Yay, cos I won a million dollars. Good answer!' Today Alexandra confesses she's learned the moral of the story ` if you rely on money for happiness, chances are you will never find it. I asked myself, 'Why is it me that won the lottery?' I believe that it was given to me because I'm gonna do something great with it. Coming up on 20/20 ` ever thought of disappearing and starting over? Well, don't do it like this next guy. Raymond Roth decided to hit reset on his life a few weeks before his 48th birthday. His grand exit began with a day at the beach in New York and a great big lie. 'I'm just going to go into the water and not come out. And that'll be it for me.' And I was like, 'Are you kidding? You're just gonna try to kill yourself?' Tonight on 20/20 ` a Welcome back. Ever thought of just disappearing, leaving your troubles behind you? If so, take some tips from this next story on how not to do it. HAWAIIAN-STYLE MUSIC It's a familiar fantasy ` dump your old life for a one-way ticket to paradise. It is the daydream of a million midlife crises. Raymond Roth decided to hit reset on his life a few weeks before his 48th birthday. His grand exit began with a day at the beach in New York and a great big lie. It was, like, surreal, kinda, you know? Jon Roth, a 22-year-old former marine, shows us the exact spot where his father got in over his head. I'm afraid that my dad might just show up out of nowhere, and that would be... that would be crazy. Saturday July 28th, 2012. The weather ` overcast and cool, with a chance of rain. Nevertheless, Raymond and son decide it's a perfect beach day. Neighbour Ron Christian remembers. He just said, 'See ya later. We're going to the beach.' At the beach, the Roths choose their spot with care. We, kind of, went off over back there. It was a no-swim zone. Just the place for a swim, Raymond decides. He took his shirt off. He took his shoes off, even. Half an hour later, Jon sounds the alarm, saying his dad went for a dip and disappeared. I called my stepmom and said, 'I don't know where he is.' 'Dad went into the water and never came back out.' Evana and Raymond's marriage was no bed of roses ` in fact, they didn't even sleep in the same bed ` but still, the news he might be dead hit like a ton of bricks. She started crying on the phone. Um, she was very upset. Roth calls 911 and runs for help. And I told them, 'I don't know where he is. I can't find him. You gotta help me.' And then that's when the whole search went crazy. Helicopters, lifeguards, the coastguard ` everybody responds to the scene. And Raymond is not an easy guy to lose. He's, like, 6'3"; about 280. Whoa. Combing the beach, fishing for Raymond's large body in the sea. It was a full rescue effort at that time. But Roth is nowhere to be found. We're all crying on the beach. You know, maybe he had a heart attack; maybe, you know, the undertow. But then what about this? Among the belongings he left on the beach, a wallet with no driver's licence; a cell phone with no calls or texts; and as Evana soon discovered, bank accounts with no money. There was nothing left. And although it is unclear exactly when, Raymond had also significantly increased... Tripled. ...his life insurance. But it would never do anyone any good, because Raymond Roth didn't stay dead. Then the horror started. Four days after the disappearance, Evana Roth stumbles upon her stepson Jon's open email account. Uh-oh. All the emails popped up. She reads a dumbfounding series of secret messages from Raymond, sent the day before he went missing. Raymond mentions a last will and testament, speaks of 'going the distance' and getting cash for the trip. Ray warns him to use a payphone to 'call me at the resort'. I can't believe it. He's alive. We have to call the authorities. Then Evana gets a phone call. He said, 'Evan,' and I just hung up the phone. I couldn't believe it was his voice. It was like someone rising from the dead. I thought he was dead. When Evana figured out her husband was still alive, she wanted to kill him. Instead, she did the next best thing ` she blew the whistle on her allegedly scheming husband and his sidekick, her stepson. I was planning a funeral for him? And where in the world was Raymond during his not-so-near-death experience? Tanning in Tahiti? Cooling his heels in Cancun? Posing as a playboy in Paris, perhaps? RECORD SCRATCH No, no. He'd driven his Honda down to his own timeshare at the Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida. It's hard to believe that anybody would do that, and then go to his timeshare. Uh, you know, if you're gonna do that, you gotta disappear for about 10 years. Meanwhile, his son and alleged co-conspirator makes a full confession. Jon Roth says one day on the front porch, his father laid out the plan to end his life. He said, um, 'Well, I'm just gonna go into the water and not come out, and that'll be it for me.' I was, like, 'What? Are you kidding? Like, you're just gonna try to kill yourself?' And he goes, 'No, no, no, no. I'll be in Florida.' You know, like, he was, 'Ta-da.' You know, like... What was the plan? He said that, um, my role was to just convince everybody that he was dead, and, uh, once that happened, I would collect on the monies and deliver the monies to him in Florida. And then that day in July, it's go time. Uh, and he said, 'OK, here's all my things. I'm leaving. See you later. Bye. 'You wait 30 minutes, and then you tell everybody I'm missing.' Roth denies it, but Jon says his father has physically abused him for years and forced him to take part in the scheme by threatening him with death ` the real kind, not like his fake one. You had to participate in the big lie? Yes, because if I didn't, I would die and anyone who I told about this would die. And why should that threat be believed? I mean, he's a violent person. Not only that; he has a ton of weapons in the house. Even as a former marine, you couldn't defend yourself? Not against weapons. Especially if I don't have any. As for Raymond, his dream of a cosmic do-over dashed, he heads for home in his Honda. On the way, his lucky streak continues ` he's stopped for speeding. MAN: I got a guy on a traffic stop that's listed as missing involuntary out of New York. Raymond is sent on his way. Turns out being a missing person is not a crime. But insurance fraud is, and those are the charges waiting for him when he finally resurfaces in New York,... What do you say to your family? > ...where it seems nobody loves Raymond. What were you running from? > What were you running from? > < Ray, now is the time to apologise. Raymond says the life-insurance angle was his son's idea, he had nothing to do with that, but prosecutors are charging both men. And so ends one man's fatally flawed plan. Raymond Roth will have to live with the consequences, but not with his wife ` she is filing for divorce. But this may be the harshest realisation of all ` instead of a bachelor-pad timeshare down south, Raymond may be sharing a prison cell upstate. SLAM! If you want to see any of tonight's stories again, including that one, head to our website... You can also email us... Or go to our Facebook page. And let us know your thoughts on tonight's show. Thanks for all your feedback over the past week. We're interested in your stories, so keep those ideas coming in.