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Canadian Child Survives Getting Lost
Aired May 08, 2003 - 15:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: If you have a 10-year-old in the house as I do, then chances are you know they are 10 going on 25.
Well, here's one of those examples -- and one that turned out to be a rather good thing. Ramida Dia (ph) of Canada TV has just an incredible survival story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAMIDA DIA (PH), CANADA TV (voice-over): Out here, there's no forgiveness. 18,000 acres of rough terrain, filled with swamps, bushes, and watering holes. It's where 10-year-old girl spent the night after getting lost.
CLAYTON LOCKERT, FAMILY FRIEND: It's not a pleasant place. It's rough. Most adults wouldn't have a chance of surviving the night. I'm surprised. She's such a smart girl.
DIA: The miracle child is Clayton Lockert's good friend, Serena Church. The 10-year-old was at Lockert's home Saturday around 1:00 p.m. playing in the yard.
Her puppy Shadow ran into the bushes. She went after him and was lost. But it wasn't long before the youngster's survival instincts kicked in.
SERENA CHURCH: I remember Mum said that she lives south and so I looked for a rock with moss on it because it grows on the north side.
DIA: Next step, track the footprints. Serena's muddy boots proved she covered a lot of ground.
CHURCH: Turns out I just went in -- I found the footprints that I made while I was looking for my footprints.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.
CHURCH: So I ended up going in a circle.
DIA: By now, it's getting late and it's snowing.
CHURCH: I went underneath a pine tree and covered myself with grass and twigs.
DIA: After being unsuccessful at starting a fire, Serena found another way to keep warm -- using her dog Shadow.
CHURCH: She cuddled up right next to me, let me use her as a pillow.
DIA: And for food, the little one survived on eating snow and a single berry she found in the bushes.
CHURCH: I was starting to forget what food tastes like.
DIA: Meanwhile, over 100 people, including police, neighbors, and search and rescue crews from several communities go hunting for Serena. Twenty-six hours later, an RCMP helicopter spotted her jumping and waving about eight kilometers from the home she disappeared from.
CHURCH: When it went over me, I thought, okay, whoever is driving that must be blind!
ALEDA CHURCH, SERENA'S MOTHER: And my knees went weak, and I started to cry. And the prayers were answered. She's got a guardian angel somewhere. That and a brain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Oh, boy, she's got a brain all right. Once again, that was from Ramida Dia of Canada TV who brought us that story -- the story of Serena and Shadow.
That is something, isn't it, Judy? I think, let's see, you must be north of me because there's moss down here on the side of this monitor.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 8, 2003 - 15:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: If you have a 10-year-old in the house as I do, then chances are you know they are 10 going on 25.
Well, here's one of those examples -- and one that turned out to be a rather good thing. Ramida Dia (ph) of Canada TV has just an incredible survival story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAMIDA DIA (PH), CANADA TV (voice-over): Out here, there's no forgiveness. 18,000 acres of rough terrain, filled with swamps, bushes, and watering holes. It's where 10-year-old girl spent the night after getting lost.
CLAYTON LOCKERT, FAMILY FRIEND: It's not a pleasant place. It's rough. Most adults wouldn't have a chance of surviving the night. I'm surprised. She's such a smart girl.
DIA: The miracle child is Clayton Lockert's good friend, Serena Church. The 10-year-old was at Lockert's home Saturday around 1:00 p.m. playing in the yard.
Her puppy Shadow ran into the bushes. She went after him and was lost. But it wasn't long before the youngster's survival instincts kicked in.
SERENA CHURCH: I remember Mum said that she lives south and so I looked for a rock with moss on it because it grows on the north side.
DIA: Next step, track the footprints. Serena's muddy boots proved she covered a lot of ground.
CHURCH: Turns out I just went in -- I found the footprints that I made while I was looking for my footprints.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.
CHURCH: So I ended up going in a circle.
DIA: By now, it's getting late and it's snowing.
CHURCH: I went underneath a pine tree and covered myself with grass and twigs.
DIA: After being unsuccessful at starting a fire, Serena found another way to keep warm -- using her dog Shadow.
CHURCH: She cuddled up right next to me, let me use her as a pillow.
DIA: And for food, the little one survived on eating snow and a single berry she found in the bushes.
CHURCH: I was starting to forget what food tastes like.
DIA: Meanwhile, over 100 people, including police, neighbors, and search and rescue crews from several communities go hunting for Serena. Twenty-six hours later, an RCMP helicopter spotted her jumping and waving about eight kilometers from the home she disappeared from.
CHURCH: When it went over me, I thought, okay, whoever is driving that must be blind!
ALEDA CHURCH, SERENA'S MOTHER: And my knees went weak, and I started to cry. And the prayers were answered. She's got a guardian angel somewhere. That and a brain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Oh, boy, she's got a brain all right. Once again, that was from Ramida Dia of Canada TV who brought us that story -- the story of Serena and Shadow.
That is something, isn't it, Judy? I think, let's see, you must be north of me because there's moss down here on the side of this monitor.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
