C.B. boy dies overnight in hospital James Delorey, 7, was lost in C. B. woods for two nights By TERA CAMUS Cape Breton Bureau | UPDATED Tue. Dec 8 - 4:45 AM [A Halifax search crew looks over a map before leaving with this stretcher to transport a little autistic boy who became lost at South Bar on Saturday before a storm struck. (TERA CAMUS / Cape Breton Bureau)
] A Halifax search crew looks over a map before leaving with this stretcher to transport a little autistic boy who became lost at South Bar on Saturday before a storm struck. (TERA CAMUS / Cape Breton Bureau) UPDATED 3:30 p.m. Little James Delorey passed away early Tuesday morning at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, a sad end to a desperate two-day search near Sydney for the youngster. Jocelyn Vine, vice-president of patient care at the hospital, told reporters shortly before 10:30 a.m. that the seven-year-old autistic boy from South Bar passed away despite the efforts of staff at the hospital. “It is with our deepest regret we advise you that James Delorey did pass away at the IWK Health Centre early this morning,” Ms. Vine said, passing on the information at the request of the family. “On behalf of the health centre, we want to express our deepest sympathies to the family during this devastating loss.” Family members were with him at his bedside overnight, she said. She said the hospital would not be providing information on James’s condition when he arrived, his treatment, or anything else relating to his case out of respect for his family’s privacy. “At this point I really won’t be going into detail on this situation, she said. “We’re really focused today on the family situation.” James Delorey's mother thanks supporters in statement She did read a brief statement from James’s mother. “The family would like to thank everyone involved in James’s care. It was amazing to see how everyone would come together. It really kept my hopes alive. We will have more to say later after we’ve had some time,” Veronica Fraser wrote. Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter issued a statement expressing his sorrow over Delorey's death. ``The Delorey family is in the hearts and prayers of Nova Scotians from one end of the province to the other,'' he said. The boy was reportedly unconscious and suffering from severe hypothermia after he was found by ground search teams in an area of South Bar outside Sydney. He wasn't wearing a winter coat, hat or mittens. The boy was found at about noon hidden under brush and snow near Kilkenny Lake, a watershed about 1.5 kilometres behind his South Bar home. He was unconscious and suffering the effects of prolonged hypothermia. The boy wandered away from home Saturday with his dog Chance. Just hours after he disappeared, the first snowstorm of the season struck with sharp winds, temperatures that dipped below zero and thick, wet snow that didn’t stop until two hours before he was found. A Halifax Regional Search and Rescue team that arrived early Monday to relieve exhausted Cape Breton searchers found the boy. Searchers found him as a second group of trackers from Halifax was following paw prints left in fresh snow after Chance returned in the morning. Const. Kenny Routledge, a Cape Breton Regional Police officer who was a search commander, said it took 1½ hours to get the boy out of the woods because of his medical condition and where he was located. "The area was very dense where the young fella was found . . . and getting the paramedics 400 metres to where the chopper could land . . . took an extreme amount of time and a lot of effort to extract," Const. Routledge told reporters late Monday afternoon. "Because of the seriousness of his condition, moving him very slowly and precisely was imperative. So they took every effort to be careful." An RCMP helicopter flew the boy to Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney. A LifeFlight helicopter later took the boy to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. Officials wouldn’t say whether the boy had a pulse when he was found or whether he required resuscitation. "It wouldn’t surprise me if he hunkered down in the thick brush, perhaps with the dog huddling close, and that perhaps gave him enough body heat to survive," said Michael Murray, a Halifax Regional Search and Rescue spokesman,trying to explain how the 60-pound boy was able to survive for so long in the freezing temperatures. "The conditions out there were very difficult to search in. We had a young child, so there was a great sense of urgency. We came in this morning pretty confident that we would be successful." Officials with Autism Society Nova Scotia as well as a psychiatrist were helping police and searchers try to figure out how far the boy could have travelled and how he would react in the woods at night. Paul Vienneau, a Cape Breton Search and Rescue spokesman, said the fact that hundreds of people turned out to help in the search was invaluable. "This search pulled (in) all the teams from across the province . . . nine search teams. It was fantastic," Mr. Vienneau said. "They came from all over the island, Halifax. People felt compelled. They wanted to help. This was different than other searches. It’s a child and, because he’s autistic, it gave you a lot more feeling in the heart that everybody wanted to volunteer." Police Chief Myles Burke thanked searchers and the community for their efforts in helping find the boy. "We’re extremely grateful (for) the assistance we received during the search and rescue process," Chief Burke said. "It’s clear this story has touched the hearts of everyone in our community, this province and right across this country. "The family was truly overwhelmed by . . . the response. They have expressed to us to pass along that they are extremely grateful for everything that has been done." Searchers were asked to call out the word "pizza" or the dog’s name in the hope of finding the boy.
Comments:
It's a shame that these kind of stories don't hit the media, If they did they would probably blame it on not continuing to vaccinate! This happens everyday to a child with Autism & goes unnoticed by the Media.
God be with his Family & the horrible way this Child had to suffer & die in the cold.
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That is just heartbreaking. I can't even begin to imagine. That poor boy and his family will be in my thoughts and prayers! Too bad his pup didn't help to lead him home.. Although, I'm sure the dog was just bound to his boy's side trying to keep him warm.. :(
- MamaMulder
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