Autistic Man Found Well, Searcher's Joy

I don't know if people have heard about the missing autistic man who wandered away from a camp near Grantsburg, Wisconsin. I live about 20 miles away from that camp and my grandparents used to live about a mile from that camp. My mom also grew up in Grantsburg. This situation of the lost man suffering from Autism hit a little close to home. Plus, this autistic man had a kidney transplant and that also hit close to home for me. I knew the importance of getting antirejection meds into the body on a daily basis.

This autistic man had been missing for a week and yesterday was to be the last organized search. I knew I had to do something and my parents did too. So we spent Sunday morning helping. We literally walked through knee-high swamp, prickly ash, poison ivy, lots of brush, etc. It was horrible. I fell so many times. I picked off so many ticks..I lost count at 12. I was involved with the search for about 5 hours and then had to head home to check on Mark. My mom stayed the whole day.

Driving home, you would have thought I would feel good about myself having at least been there and done something, but I felt horrible. I wish we would have found something. I felt helpless and horrible leaving, knowing I could be doing something more and knowing if this man was still out there alive, he needed to be found...and here I was just leaving. I felt horrible.

I don't know if anyone has been involved with a search and rescue, but I'm sure you can understand.

Mark thanked me for going to help look. It hit home to him too. We both were devastated that we couldn't find him yesterday knowing that yesterday was the last organized search. It's the worst feeling. I know if they would have kept the search going today, I'd be up there in a heartbeat.

Then, on the 9:00 news, it came up as breaking news that on the last organized search of the night, in a place they had searched 2-3 times already THEY FOUND HIM ALIVE! He was curled up in a fetal position, extremely dehydrated and not doing well, but he was alive! Mark and I were absolutely beside ourselves. You would have thought it was our own family member...and I guess in a way it was. A lot of people don't realize that when you have a transplant, you've joined a "family" and a bond with our transplanted people that is hard to explain and understand.

I'm just excited beyond words that he was found. I hope and pray now that his kidney is okay and he'll be okay. He's in the same hospital right now as Mark was for his transplant which is arguably the best transplant hospital in the nation.

It truly was a miracle... and to think I helped in a small way to accomplish this miracle.