FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Food

This Man's Love of Pizza Literally Saved His Life

For one Oregon man, his obsession with pizza literally saved his life.
Photo via Flickr user Blue MauMau

It goes without saying that the joyous disk of ambrosia that is pizza happens to one of the single greatest achievements of humanity. Some will eat every single slice of pizza in their city in the pursuit of perfection. Others devote their entire lives to pizza and solely subside on the stuff. Hell, you could even go to college just to get a degree in all things pizza.

But for one Oregon man, his obsession with pizza literally saved his life.

Advertisement

When 48-year-old Kirk Alexander hadn't placed an order at his local Domino's for several days, the employees at the pizza chain knew something was very amiss. You see, Alexander was a regular customer at the pizza chain and would place an order almost daily. The store's manager, Sarah Fuller, told the Statesman Journal, "Several of our drivers had commented that they hadn't seen an order come through for him recently."

READ MORE: Korean Waffle Pizzas Are a Stoner's Dream in LA

Alexander was such a regular customer that he ordered "almost daily for more than seven years," Jenny Seiber, an assistant manager at the Domino's. He didn't always order pizza; instead, sometimes he ordered pasta or wings. Still, he was always a consistent caller—until recently.

Fuller and her employees got concerned. At one in the morning this past weekend, she asked one of her drivers to stop by his home. "We all know Kirk and he only lives about six minutes from the store, so the whole team was concerned."

Tracey Hamblen, a driver, was dispatched. Hamblen noticed that the TV and lights were on in Alexander's home—but he wasn't answering the door. Hamblen knew that Alexander suffered from severe health problems, so when he came back to the store and told the others what was going on, they decided to call 911.

READ MORE: I Got High, Blown, and Robbed When I Was a Pizza Delivery Guy

The Marion County Sheriff's Office response team arrived at Alexander's house and said they "could hear a man calling for help." Deputies forced entry and made sure that Alexander got the immediate medical attention that he needed. Earlier this week, he was hospitalized, but in stable condition.

We just have one little question: When Alexander gets out of the hospital, will he have to change his diet to something more, well, healthy than daily Domino's? Or will he stay loyal to the diet that, inadvertently at least, saved his life?

The answer to that question remains to be seen.