Environment & Climate Extreme Weather Survivors is using personal stories to get people to care about the climate crisis. (Getty Images) Gender, climate and sustainability reporter Published September 27, 2024, 7:06 a.m. PT Republish this story It was Labor Day in 2022 when Amy Dishion received the phone call that would change her life: Her husband had died of heat stroke. “My entire life just fell apart,” Dishion said. “I lost my best friend and the father of my child.” They had moved to Phoenix for her husband Evan’s medical residency in neurology. Just a few months before, Dishion had given birth to their daughter, Chloe. The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one . Their life as a young family was falling into place until that fateful morning in September, when Evan, who was 32 at the time, set out to hike with a few of his friends. They started early in the morning, but they were unprepared for just how quickly it would heat up. Her husband eventually began to show signs of heat stroke before passing out. His friends left him under a tree while they went in search of cell service to call for help. In many ways, Dishion said, the tragedy was preventable. The friend group was hiking in extreme heat without enough water and didn’t turn around when they should have. But high temperatures are also a risk that is growing every summer due to the climate crisis, she noted. More and more people are unaware of the dangers of extreme weather even as it becomes more deadly with each passing year. This year Phoenix broke records for experiencing 113 days in a row over 100 degrees, surpassing the previous city record set in 1993 of 76 days. The heat didn’t just take Dishion’s […]