Aussie lost in Laos jungle 'improving'
An Australian man who was lost in a Laotian jungle for 11 days without food is having his body re-built "one organ at a time", his father said today.
Queensland-based Stan Adcock said he was hopeful his 40-year-old son Hayden would make a full recovery after being rescued from a remote jungle location in central Laos and evacuated to Thailand.
"He's still in a critical conditon of course, he's not out of the woods yet, but they're working on it and they feel there will be a total recovery - well they're hoping so," Mr Adcock said.
"I'm hoping that means not only will he survive but they'll have all of his bodily functions restored, he won't be in a wheelchair or anything."
Hayden Adcock, who was born in Victoria and grew up on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, went missing after setting out on a short walk to a waterfall in a national park in Khammouane province on July 31.
The Australian embassy in Vientiane was notified he was missing on August 8 and two staff immediately travelled to the area to help coordinate search efforts.
However, heavy rain and flooding hampered efforts on the ground and it was not until a helicopter search was conducted two days later that he was found and evacuated to Bangkok.
Mr Adcock said his Hong Kong-based nephew arrived in Thailand yesterday and held the telephone to Hayden's ear so he could talk.
"They'd just taken the tube out of his throat and he's still got an oxygen mask on and they put the phone to his ear and he was able to try and talk to me," he said.
"I couldn't understand a word he said of course because the tube in the voice box had upset his throat but that was the most thrilling piece of news we'd had."
Mr Adcock said it was still early days for his son but the family was feeling positive.
"I'm thrilled that Hayden has got such a fighting spirit and that gives me a lot of confidence," he said.
"If he'd dropped his bundle or something like that that would have been hard to bear."
Hayden Adcock's mother will arrive in Bangkok tomorrow, Mr Adcock said.
------------------------I also found a news story on him: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3349231/9393172
You know he's going to end up selling his story rights for millions. I hope he lets me write his screenplay.
