CBC Interviews - Autism Search & Rescue, challenges & strategies

Our deepest sympathies go out to
James Delorey's family, friends and community

CBC contacted me the morning of December 8th, after James had been found in thick brush and snow, two days and nights after following his dog Chance into the woods near his home in Cape Breton. James had been airlifted to the IWK Children's Hospital in Halifax in critical condition suffering from extreme hypothermia. They wanted to do a story on "the challenges or strategies that could be involved in searching for a lost person with autism" and because Alex and I had given a training session to PEI's Ground Search and Rescue volunteers in January, they hoped I could provide that information.

Moments before the interview began, Kerry Campbell got a call informing him that James had died. He relayed that information to me. As soon as he left I sent him the following email, part of which he shares in the TV News interview.

Hi,

Just so you know..... I could acknowledge the news of James' death or do that interview but not both. I wish I could have expressed my sympathies at the time but then you wouldn't have your interview.

It's good that parents of Island autistics will know that PEI's Search & Rescue members have autism specific training. Especially now.

Thanks

-j

The interview resulted in the following CBC TV Compass News Interview (2:27) and CBC Radio Island Morning interview (6:47)

For more information on Alex's ID bracelet, click HERE

I'd like to repeat some thank you's
I made in that post after our January presentation:

Thank you Phil for inviting me. Thank you Dennis for supporting & advising me and for sending me your yet-to-be-released First Responder video to show, and getting it here, just in the nick of time. Thank you Brian for your moral support and wise contributions. Thanks too to the SAR guys who took care of the technical end of things for me today. And to all the volunteers who make up PEI's Search and Rescue - thank you for today's great discussion and your kind words of feedback afterwards. Thanks especially for the work that you do and the work that you are prepaired to do. I hope you learned some valuable things today but I also hope you'll never have to put any of that knowledge to use in a rescue and/or emergency situation.

Thank you for helping us make PEI a better, safer, place for all autistics.

Tip-to-Tip for Safety-Training & Education

www.PlanetAutism.com/runman

Alex on CBC Compass News - Olympic Torch Run

Friday, November 20th, 2009
CBC Compass News

CBC Compass News - Torch Run Interview

Sally Pitt from CBC interviews me about torch run for Compass news tonight.

Filming in my yard I show practicing to run slow.

Allan Callard will be on Compass tonight too he running in Victoria Park Saturday night. Shelley Simmons-MacLeod is running in Summerside Sunday at 6:20pm
on MacEwen Rd starting at Lefurgery Ave and finish at Athena School.
Alex Coffin in Saint John November 25 at 8:30am.

I very excited!

I'm so proud that Coca-Cola picked me
to represent and celebrate active and diverse Canadians.
This will be the most exciting run of my life


Watch Compass Live Online at 6pm Atlantic Time

Watch tonight's Compass online after 7pm AT until Monday evening

Alex on Compass - iRun Award

Alex was quite thrilled to see the news of his iRun Award made the CBC Compass News Monday night. Not only did it catch the eye of folks I on local forums and Alex's Facebook friends but when I went to town today I was stopped by a few people who saw it and wanted me to pass on their congratulations to Alex. Along with the public messages of congratulations here, here and here, our mailboxes have seen plenty more. Thank you all. Alex has been reading them all and checking the comments on his blog regularly. Here's 30 more seconds of Alex's fame....