View Full Version : MISSING MAN: 82 y/o w Alzheimer's can hike forever
steph4100
01-21-2013, 11:14
On Sunday, January 13, my stepfather went for his daily walk in the Cherokee National Forest in Laurel Bloomery, TN (very near the VA/TN/NC borders) but did not return home. He has Alzheimer's but is in great physical shape. To date, they have scoured more than 30 square miles of this area, but we are hoping that social media might also help in the event that ANYONE has seen him. If you're hiking in this area or know of anyone in this area, please share this information: www.facebook.com/HelpFindHarry
Thank you!
On Sunday, January 13, my stepfather went for his daily walk in the Cherokee National Forest in Laurel Bloomery, TN (very near the VA/TN/NC borders) but did not return home. He has Alzheimer's but is in great physical shape. To date, they have scoured more than 30 square miles of this area, but we are hoping that social media might also help in the event that ANYONE has seen him. If you're hiking in this area or know of anyone in this area, please share this information: www.facebook.com/HelpFindHarry (http://www.facebook.com/HelpFindHarry)
Thank you!
Prayers are with you and your family.
Hosaphone
01-21-2013, 13:39
Not to sound insensitive but... Having seen what Alzheimer's does to people, I think I would much prefer going out like this rather than becoming a vegetable in a hospital bed for months or years.
steph4100
01-21-2013, 17:27
Not to sound insensitive but... Having seen what Alzheimer's does to people, I think I would much prefer going out like this rather than becoming a vegetable in a hospital bed for months or years.
I actually agree, and I know he would, too! The hard part is not having closure.
Pringles
01-21-2013, 18:29
Can you name a nearby town, or tell us where he usually does nhis daily hike?
You and your family are in my thoughts.
Pringles
steph4100
01-21-2013, 19:54
Can you name a nearby town, or tell us where he usually does nhis daily hike?
You and your family are in my thoughts.
Pringles
Sure! He lives in Laurel Bloomery, TN, which is just south of Damascus, VA on Highway 91 (in case you're at all familiar with the area), and he usually hikes in the Cherokee National Forest, reached from Gentry Creek Rd. Thanks.
pafarmboy
01-21-2013, 21:06
Not to sound insensitive but....
You are. Unless you are an expert on both Alzheimer's and searching for lost loved ones, I believe you should think before you type.
HikerMom58
01-21-2013, 21:08
Sure! He lives in Laurel Bloomery, TN, which is just south of Damascus, VA on Highway 91 (in case you're at all familiar with the area), and he usually hikes in the Cherokee National Forest, reached from Gentry Creek Rd. Thanks.
Oh dear... that's so scary. I hope you have some good news by now, in the meantime, praying for you and your family.
Hosaphone
01-22-2013, 03:14
You are. Unless you are an expert on both Alzheimer's and searching for lost loved ones, I believe you should think before you type.
I guess I shouldn't have prefaced it with "I don't mean to sound insensitive". I'm a cold, insensitive heartless bastard and I don't care. Sue me.
I haven't been in the position of searching for a loved one and I'm not an expert on Alzheimer's... But I have had a family member go down the Alzheimer's road and end up incontinent in a hospital, oblivious to the world, unable to enjoy anything in life, unable to even feed herself. It's not unlikely that I find myself in that same position some day, too. I hope I have the mental wherewithal to off myself before I get to that point. I really don't want to die in a hospital bed. One of the last sentences my grandma spoke was, "I never thought I would end like this."
Even if they find him and he's alive, it's no less sad of a situation.
T.S.Kobzol
01-22-2013, 23:56
Well you don't know how far his grandfather's illness is to make insensitive statements like you did.
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I have passed through Laurel Bloomery a few times and met a local minister who gave me a ride to Massey Gap from Damascus a couple years back.Have you located your stepfather yet? My thoughts and prayers with your family and stepfather.
Bill Strebler
01-23-2013, 00:33
Hosaphone, you were definitely being sensitive. I was an epidemiologist with a particular interest in Alzheimer's as well as being in search and rescue, although I don't see what being an expert in those two areas has to do with anything. Out of all the tragedy and suffering I've seen from war, poverty and natural disasters, I think the most stressful thing for me was the time I had to help a bunch of people try and track down family members, not knowing their fates. Anyone with any knowledge whatsoever of Alzheimer's knows it is a no-win, tragic situation, and as appears to be the case here, I think most family members would appreciate an offer of comforting thoughts in a tragic situation.
Steph4100, I will be passing this on to friends in the area.
Coffee Rules!
01-23-2013, 00:49
Steph4100, I hope, I REALLY hope, that you get good news, but I do hope you get closure. Warm fuzzy thoughts and positive vibes headed your way.