Florida Man Discusses 4-Day Ordeal after Rescue from Woods
A man who was lost in the woods for four days shared his story Tuesday about how it all happened. Eddie Meadows, 62, remained hospitalized Tuesday after being rescued from a swampy area near the University of Central Florida on Monday, four days after he disappeared.
Meadows said he was training for the Baltimore Marathon, but he never thought a jog through a UCF nature trail would take four days and nights.
"I feel great!" Meadows exclaimed Tuesday.
He said he is ready to go running again, only this time he'll stick to a paved path after four days and nights lost in a thickly-wooded area on the UCF campus.
"I was wandering around the whole time, and the only time when I wasn't wandering was at night, where I didn't have light to see where I could go," he explained.
Meadows said he was taking a shortcut and ended up in the middle of nowhere, even though he was never more than a few hundred yards from civilization. Meadows said he could hear the UCF marching band practicing, but nobody could hear him when he yelled for help.
Meadows said he saw the search helicopters hovering overhead, but they couldn't see him after losing his way Thursday. It wasn't until the following Monday morning that UCF professor Ron Eaglin, in the woods searching, heard a cry for help.
"Ron yelled back, 'Are you searching for Eddie Meadows?' And I yelled back, 'I am Eddie Meadows!'" Meadows said.
Meadows was severely dehydrated, with signs of kidney failure, when he made it to the hospital, and his arms and legs were all scratched up. But through it all, he said, he never lost faith and his family kept theirs with the help of so many good friends.
"I don't think there's a word in the English language to say thank you enough to all of the people who were there for us," said Meadow's wife, Ardis.
"So many people take that effort to save one simple old runner who went out and made a really dumb mistake, for that I will be forever, ever grateful," Meadows said.
Doctors said Eddie Meadow's kidneys were back to normal Tuesday and they plan to send him home Wednesday. Meadows said he will never run again without a cell phone.
Previous Stories:
- September 5, 2006: Missing Man Able To Jog Out Of Woods After Being Found
- September 5, 2006: Missing Jogger Survived By Drinking Swamp Water
- September 1, 2006: Man Missing After Going For Jog At UCF Campus
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