Jon Hagen, RN
Years ago, I was onboard ThedaStar when we were called to Shawano to search for a missing child. He was last seen at Wal-Mart, which had recently opened. No one was sure if he had been abducted, wandered off, or what. Especially concerning, though, was the heavily wooded area, and the large drainage pond directly behind the store.
We flew overhead, searching as night fell. We shone our “Night Sun” spotlight in the woods, and over the water. Ground searches were underway, conducted by the fire department. Police set up a perimeter area, and discussed their options.
Then, we were notified by radio that the boy had been found. The sheriff’s dispatcher thanked us for coming, but the boy was fine, and we could return to our base. Our inquiries as to where the boy was found went unanswered.
When we got back to Theda Clark Medical Center, I called the sheriff’s dispatcher to find out the details. She told me the boy had been found, locked inside Wal-Mart. He apparently had crawled onto some shelving units, and fallen asleep. He woke up to the sound of the sirens and the helicopter. They found him with his nosed pressed to the inside glass of the front door, wondering what all the commotion outside was all about.
When I received the following e-mail, I smiled as I recalled that night in Shawano…
“The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee’s home phone number and was greeted with a child’s whispered, “Hello?” Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to a youngster, the boss asked, “Is your daddy home?” “Yes,” whispered the small voice. “May I talk with him?” the man asked.
To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, “No.” Wanting to talk to an adult, the boss asked, “Is your Mommy there?” “Yes,” came the answer. “May I talk with her?” Again the small voice whispered, “No.” Knowing that it was not likely that a young child would be left home alone, the boss decided he would just leave a message with the person who should be there watching over the child. “Is there anyone there besides you?” the boss asked the child. “Yes,” whispered the child. “A policeman.” Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee’s home, the boss asked, “May I speak with the policeman?” “No, he’s busy,” whispered the child. “Busy doing what?” asked the boss. “Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman,” came the whispered answer. Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, “What is that noise?” “A hello-chopper,” answered the whispering voice. “What is going on there?” asked the boss, now alarmed. In an awed whispering voice the child answered, “Some people just landed the hello-chopper.” Alarmed, concerned and more than just a little frustrated, the boss asked, “Why are they there?” Still whispering, the young voice replied, along with a muffled giggle….”They’re looking for me!”
Boys will be boys!