A man’s perfect vacation with his wife was almost over when something happened that he did not expect – he was kidnapped, attacked, and left alone to die in a ditch.

The victim, Dustan Jackson, says he went to Cancun, Mexico with his wife for a vacation. While waiting for their flight back home to the US, he called a cab to go and buy some chewing tobacco. His driver told him that he would take him to a store that sold the item. Little did he know that the next events would change his life forever.

Things started to get bad when the driver tried to charge him more than a thousand dollars for the ride. What made the experience worse was that when he got out of the vehicle to enter the store, he was attacked by men who were holding machetes. Jackson said that he was kidnapped and that they wanted to cut his Achilles tendon to prevent his mobility. It was probably fortunate that he was hit at the bottom of his foot instead.

Jackson said that he blacked out and woke up alone in a ditch. He tried to scream for help, but no one was around to help him, and he doesn’t speak Spanish. He was left helpless for about 35 to 72 hours.

He was already resigned to his fate, but when he thought of his family during those dark moments, he was able to draw strength to live on.

Eventually, he received assistance from a female police officer who took him to the airport. While in the airport, he was ignored by “hundreds” of people, but finally, a good Samaritan in the form of an African woman whose flight was canceled was able to help him. 

After returning home after the incident, Jackson went through four surgeries. His shoulder is now fully artificial, and he will not be able to play sports with his children anymore. Despite this, Jackson is thankful that he made it out alive. “You just don’t know what life is going to bring you, so never give up. Keep going. Everybody has a purpose,” he said.

Jackson said he wants to return to Cancun and make a film about the incident.