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RESCUERS FIND WOMAN 76 GIVEN UP FOR DEAD
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SOME GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE from planetbarb
CNN HEROES:
[link to www.cnn.com]
Rescuers find woman 76 given up for dead Story Highlights
Search had been called off, her memorial service planned
Woman found talking next to stream by officers looking on their own
Couple on hunting trip abandoned truck after it got stuck in mud
They split up after she grew tired; he couldn't find her
(CNN) -- A 76-year-old woman who was given up for dead after she disappeared in the Oregon wilderness 13 days ago was found alive by officers looking on their own.
Ora Doris Anderson, seen in a family photo, was said to be in pretty good shape considering her ordeal.
After the search had been called off and a memorial service planned, Ora Doris Anderson was found "in extremely rough terrain deep in a canyon" in Oregon's Wallowa Mountains by a state trooper and a sheriff's deputy, according to the Baker County sheriff's department.
The search had been officially called off August 31, and the family had planned the service for this weekend.
After following the sound of birds singing, Deputy Travis Ash and Senior Trooper Chris Hawkins found Anderson conscious and talking in a previously searched area beside Bennett Creek on Thursday afternoon.
"We actually heard some birds earlier in the morning and we made a walk down there and were able to find her lying next to the creek," Ash told CNN's Kiran Chetry on "American Morning." Watch the rescuers describe how they found Anderson »
"We actually found her down in Bennett Creek right along the creek in pretty heavy brush."
Asked if Anderson told the officers how she was able to survive two weeks without food and water, Hawkins said, "We really didn't ask her those kinds of questions. We just made sure we kept her awake and kept her talking about family and general ... things. [We] didn't really go into specifics about how she'd gotten there.
"Considering how long she'd been out there, I think she was in very good condition. A few scrapes but she looked well," Hawkins said. See where Anderson was found »
Anderson apparently had injured her hip but was alert as she was flown by helicopter to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Baker City, Oregon, a hospital official said. She is listed in critical but stable condition, said spokesman George Winn.
Doctors said she was in "surprisingly good shape considering she's been lost in the mountains for 13 days," Winn said.
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Dr. Steve DeLashmutt, who treated Anderson, told CNN he expected her to make a full recovery.
"She's steadily gaining ground and she's talking to her family now and recognizes her family. So she's making progress," he said.
DeLashmutt said when Anderson arrived at the hospital, "She had been exposed to the elements and was cold, as one would expect.
"She was also dehydrated and had been talking to us to some degree but clearly wasn't making sense."
Anderson had been lightly dressed in a wilderness area where temperatures had dipped into the 30s Fahrenheit over the past two weeks, The Associated Press reported.
About 70 volunteers a day combed the Wallowa Mountain of eastern Oregon until the search was ended.
Asked how Anderson could have survived for two weeks without food or water, DeLashmutt said, "Miracle? ... We were just conversing as to whether we'd heard of another survivor in these mountains for two weeks and none of us had. So she probably drank water out of the stream to stay partially hydrated."
Anderson was with her 75-year-old husband, Harold Anderson, on an elk hunting trip August 25 when their truck got stuck in mud, according to a sheriff's spokeswoman.
The couple began walking in a search for help but split up later in the day, intending for Ora Doris to head back to the truck while Harold continued to look for help.
Hunters found Harold, then began searching for his missing wife.
It's unbelievable that she could still be alive," brother-in-law Bill Anderson said. "I had given up hope that she could have lived after three days."
Iris Anderson, 71, who is married to Harold's brother, Melvin, credited Ora Doris Anderson's survival to prayer and her healthy lifestyle, according to AP.
"How she managed to live for two weeks at the bottom of a canyon, I don't know," Iris Anderson said.
Ora Doris Anderson and Harold Anderson were high school sweethearts who married 55 years ago, Bill Anderson said.
Harold Anderson vowed never to go elk hunting again and said he would spend the rest of his days at home with his wife.
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