A Very Happy Ending
November/18/2007 Random Thoughts
In a media-driven culture that is seemingly obsessed with beautiful, self-absorbed people, it's good for the heart to know that small miracles really do happen because of the selflessness of people who show up when they are needed. Such was the case when Jacob Allen, a physically fit 18-year-old who is severely autistic, managed to outdistance his parents on a hike in the rugged Dolly Sods Wildness Area of the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. In a matter of minutes, Jacob, who loves the outdoors, but is non-verbal, seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth.
Jacob's father is a staff member at Garrett College, which is located a few miles from my house at Deep Creek Lake, MD. The Allen family lives in Morgantown, WV, about 40 minutes from Deep Creek. Morgantown also is the home of my daughter Julie, son-in-law Chris Frum, and grandson Lusas. Julie and Chris are West Virginia University grads, and Chris works at the University in Morgantown. As soon as the word got out, volunteers from WVU, Garrett College, churches, and other groups converged on the wilderness area to look for Jacob under the guidance of first responders and professional rescue organizations. Chris, who has extensive wilderness training and experience, served as a team leader on day 3 of the search. Miraculously, Jacob was found by just such a team on day 4, only hours before the a driving rainstorm snapped the spell of unseasonably warm weather that had kept hopes alive that Jacob could survive the elements if help came in time.
According to Chris, so many qualified people came out to help -- not to mention folks who just wanted to do anything -- that the organizers had to make up tasks to keep them busy. Many, he said, took time away from their hourly jobs, so they lost a day's pay for every day they spent searching for Jacob. Though he was armed with a hand-held GPS, Chris said that the terrain was so rugged he was very concerned that one of his 15-member team could get lost in an instant, so the team relied on shout-outs to stay together. It took nearly a day to cover terrain that was roughly the size of a football field. The fact that a watchful rescue-team member finally spotted Jacob, as he slept beneath the canopy of rhododendron, was almost a miracle in itself.
The story of the Allen family's plight and Jacob's rescue made national news for nearly a week. But what happened at Dolly Sods continues to touch those who participated directly in the rescue operation as well as those who held the family and the searchers in their hearts and prayers throughout the ordeal. A website that commemorates the search can be found at www.operationjacob.com. If you're having a bad day, just visit the site and click on the slide show, as what unfolds will surely lift your spirits. It's hard to top the sight of Jacob and his rescuers emerging from that endless wilderness.
Chris, Julie and Lucas came to visit in Deep Creek the day after Jacob was found. I took this picture of them over the weekend. It now has special meaning because it will forever remind me a beautiful, unseasonable October when good people came together and became part of something much larger than themselves.
Jacob's father is a staff member at Garrett College, which is located a few miles from my house at Deep Creek Lake, MD. The Allen family lives in Morgantown, WV, about 40 minutes from Deep Creek. Morgantown also is the home of my daughter Julie, son-in-law Chris Frum, and grandson Lusas. Julie and Chris are West Virginia University grads, and Chris works at the University in Morgantown. As soon as the word got out, volunteers from WVU, Garrett College, churches, and other groups converged on the wilderness area to look for Jacob under the guidance of first responders and professional rescue organizations. Chris, who has extensive wilderness training and experience, served as a team leader on day 3 of the search. Miraculously, Jacob was found by just such a team on day 4, only hours before the a driving rainstorm snapped the spell of unseasonably warm weather that had kept hopes alive that Jacob could survive the elements if help came in time.
According to Chris, so many qualified people came out to help -- not to mention folks who just wanted to do anything -- that the organizers had to make up tasks to keep them busy. Many, he said, took time away from their hourly jobs, so they lost a day's pay for every day they spent searching for Jacob. Though he was armed with a hand-held GPS, Chris said that the terrain was so rugged he was very concerned that one of his 15-member team could get lost in an instant, so the team relied on shout-outs to stay together. It took nearly a day to cover terrain that was roughly the size of a football field. The fact that a watchful rescue-team member finally spotted Jacob, as he slept beneath the canopy of rhododendron, was almost a miracle in itself.
The story of the Allen family's plight and Jacob's rescue made national news for nearly a week. But what happened at Dolly Sods continues to touch those who participated directly in the rescue operation as well as those who held the family and the searchers in their hearts and prayers throughout the ordeal. A website that commemorates the search can be found at www.operationjacob.com. If you're having a bad day, just visit the site and click on the slide show, as what unfolds will surely lift your spirits. It's hard to top the sight of Jacob and his rescuers emerging from that endless wilderness.
Chris, Julie and Lucas came to visit in Deep Creek the day after Jacob was found. I took this picture of them over the weekend. It now has special meaning because it will forever remind me a beautiful, unseasonable October when good people came together and became part of something much larger than themselves.