AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY MADE ON A HUNTING TRIP KEEPS TEENAGER STIRRING FOR ALMOST 5 DECADES

 

What is the strangest thing one could find on a hunting trip? A Tiger, a Cheetah, a Lion or maybe some other terrifying creature that resides in the wilderness. But what if someone comes across something that soothes a person’s soul and terrifies it at the same time?

Destiny had something similar planned when a teenager Dave Hickman went on a hunting trip with his grandfather.

The Teenage Saga

When a boy reaches his teenage, he is determined to prove his machoism to his peers, and what better way to prove his ability than hunting? After all, narrating the adventurous stories to his adrenaline-junky friends is the most foolproof way of getting crowned ‘Cool Kid’ in the school. This was, perhaps, one of the reasons that made Dave want to go on a hunting trip with his grandfather.

Dave Hickman

A resident of Tennessee, Dave was a daring 14-year-old who mapped out a hunting trip to Boston, Indiana just south of Richmond with his grandfather. He did not have the slightest idea as to where this trip would take his life because he had envisioned a hunting trip and not a rescue mission and he was sure as hell not mentally prepared for one.

 The Hunting Trip

When the duo reached the woods, all they wanted was to hunt a few flying squirrels and bond over a conversation. The trip was nothing as planned by a teenage Dave Hickman or his grandfather. According to them, bonding and having fun was the primary purpose of this trip but this was not going to be the only outcome of that trip. It would soon become a life-altering incident for Dave.

 What’s That Noise?

In expectation of finding something to hunt while making their way through woods, they heard an unexpected noise. A noise that did not belong to this wood. The noise was not like one of an animal, it sounded different, it sounded different, it sounded like a human. This was the moment when Dave decided that he’ll search for the source of this noise.

The Quest Begins

Dave started his quest to find the origin of the noise. Dave found that noise very disturbing and was pretty sure that this place is quite an odd place for a sound like that. It was his foolhardiness that made him gather his courage and find the source of the noise in those woods.

An Unexpected Turn

Dave was resolute to find out the source of the noise that did not belong in those woods. Dave remembered, “September 22, 1955, I’d been hunting with my grandfather. And I kept hearing a very odd sound. It wasn’t the sound of a baby crying, it was more of a soft cooing sound. I said, ‘I have to find out what this is.’ So I started walking up the fence.”.

Investigation

 

Dave was determined to find where the sound was originating from as that sound was resembling that of a human and he did not expect to hear this kind of noise in the woods. As Dave started looking relentlessly for that cooing sound and was originating from and started making his way through the grassy area, he found the originating place of the sound and the revelation of the source of the sound was jaw-dropping.

A Forsaken Newborn

Dave was awestruck at what he saw in that grassy area. In front of him was an abandoned baby, wet and wrapped in a towel, lying in the grass. Dave couldn’t believe his eyes. “It was a shock. You just would never think you would find a baby laying out there. I remember thinking, ‘What kind of person would do something like this?’ She was soaking wet and her lips were blue,” Dave said. “She was wrapped in a towel.”

Alerting The Authorities

Upon discovering a baby in the woods, Dave rushed towards his grandfather to show him what he had found. They both knew that the infant needed help and she needed it immediately. They alerted the authorities as soon as the could so that the baby girl could get all sorts of medical attention she needed.

A Shocking Revelation

Dave recalls, “I got on top of the fence, I looked down, and there was a little baby. She was soaking wet. Her lips were blue. She was just wrapped in a towel. My grandfather said, ‘We have to do something real quick, we have to get help for the baby’.”. Both of the guys kept their cool and alerted the authorities as soon as they could.

Immediate Action

As soon as the authorities were informed, they arrived at the exact scene and took the charge from there. They carried that baby to the hospital and took her to the doctors so that she could get the medical attention needed. The officials at the hospital informed that the baby was at most 5-6 days old and she weighed a bit more than 6 pounds.

Naming Ceremony

The doctors treated the infant and gave her the name – Roseann Wayne (no, she wasn’t related to Bruce Wayne aka Batman anyhow). She was named Roseann because a girl in The Welfare Department liked it and the last name after the county where she was found. The doctors were instructed by Judge Richard Kemper of Wayne Superior Court that the baby will not leave the hospital till the time she has gained proper weight.

The Penultimate Meeting

A few weeks later The Welfare Department started receiving calls for adopting the girl child, but the authorities made it clear that the girl was not to be adopted by anyone till the time she is fully recovered. The authorities did not want her to leave until and unless they were sure that she had recovered and was in pretty good health to be ready for adoption.

Is It Goodbye Then?

But after a few weeks, the girl child was going to be adopted. It was a heartbreaking moment for Dave as he had to say goodbye to the little one. “They handed her to me and they said, ‘She’s being adopted next week.’ They had her wrapped in a blanket. She was sound asleep. So I got to say goodbye to her,” he said.

But Dave had no idea where Roseann was headed to.

Where’s Roseann Wayne?

With the passing time, Dave started to get curious to know more about Roseann and thought of getting in touch with Roseann. This was the time when he decided that he would give his best and start and try to search for Roseann. But each and every time he tried his efforts went in vain as he would face some or the other obstacle each and every time.

The Search Begins

Dave did realize that it was not an easy job to find a person with a name that he wasn’t sure, she would have continued to have and with no idea of her whereabouts. But he was perseverant about finding her and decided that he won’t stop, no matter the time or the efforts needed and will try his best to find out. And therefore he started a full-fledged search for Roseann.

John Catey

Dave tried a lot but he was nowhere close to finding Roseann, but he wasn’t ready to give up so easily. To widen his area he tried and contacted a retired sheriff John Catey of Wayne County. He thought that maybe John might have a bit of experience in the area of finding people and that might get him some results. Dave told the sheriff that he has been trying to locate Roseanne for more than 40 years.

An Unsung Hero

“He said he continually wondered what happened to Roseann and how wonderful it would be to just talk to her and find out what her life has been like,” Catey said. The retired sheriff found Dave’s story genuine and this was what made him try his best to find who this lady was and where was she nowadays.

The Case Begins

Catey like a true sheriff started working on the case and gathering leads on the case. But this was not even an easy job even for Catey who was trying his best to do the necessary on his part. It wasn’t easy as people related to that incident were mostly in their super senior citizen age zone because this incident had taken place almost 4 decades ago and people related in that event had to be somewhat around 70-80.

A Lead

More often than not you succeed when you try the best you can do. And that’s what happened with John Catey. He was determined to make those, “I’ll bet I talked to 75 people, bankers, attorneys, nurses, physicians, veterinarians. I knew they had to be old to remember this. They’ve got to be 80 or better,” Catey said, “I got lucky.”

Is It The Same Woman?

Catey contacted Dave one day and gave him a name and contact details of a woman. Catey told him that the name of the woman was Mary Allen Suey. Dave contacted the woman, and he found out about Mary’s history. And he got to know that she was the one he had saved from the woods.

“He said, ‘Dave write down this name and this phone number — Mary Ellen Suey and her phone number.’ I said, ‘OK John, I said who’s that?’ (He said) ‘That’s your little girl,’ ” Dave recalls.

An Emotional Rollercoaster

Dave was excited to hear Mary’s version of the events that had taken place in her life after she was adopted and had left, keeping Dave on his toes to find her. Dave was delighted to know that the family that adopted her told her about the incident that happened with her when she was just a baby. Even though Mary does not remember anything about the incident that happened as she was an infant, but she always had admiration for the person who unwillingly left such a beautiful mark on her life.

Conversation Long Overdue

They say it correctly ‘It’s hard to forget the people who gave you so much to remember’.

“When I heard her voice, I couldn’t talk. The emotions overcame me, “Dave said. “I gave the phone to my wife, and she talked to her. After a little bit, then I could talk to her. There was an instant bond between Ellen and me.” Dave said. He further added “It’s almost as if she was my baby. It certainly has had quite an effect on me.”

Past Is past

When talking to Mary, Dave got to know that she does not hold any grudges towards the people who abandoned her, instead, she has forgiven those people. All that matters to her is that she was found and she was happy and finally she met the person who saved her from a disastrous fate. It was also found out that the authorities could not find out who abandoned her.

Reunited

Dave’s years of hard work and determination had finally paid off. Here he was standing across the same woman, a grown woman who he met last time was when she was wrapped in a blanket and he was bidding her farewell. It took almost 58 years to happen, but this precious, priceless moment was finally here.

Perseverance

Perseverance had almost given people results but it is one of the most unvalued traits that a person can have. But this story of Dave Hickman was a classic example of perseverance and it finally paid off. Being able to meet a girl who he one day had found in the woods, and that too when he did not have any idea about her whereabouts was not possible if he had given up early.

Flashbacks

“I see that image of her laying in the weeds and me standing on top of the fence every day of my life,” he said. “At least now I know there’s a happy ending.” The picture that Dave saw almost 58 years ago was an unpleasant one, but the assurance of the fact that the final outcome of Mary’s life turned out to a really good and nice one, gives Dave a sigh of relief.

Big Brother And A Hero

“It’s kind of like Dave’s a big brother I never knew I had,” Suey said. “I call him my hero here on earth because if it hadn’t been for Dave, I wouldn’t be here right now,”. Dave and Mary might have not lived together or even fought like brothers and sisters, but Mary still thinks of Dave as a brother and that brother somehow found her sister, though it was not an easy task he still succeeded in the end.

An Unforgettable Meet

There were almost 50 families waiting outside for Dave Hickman when he came to meet Mary Ellen Suey in Mitrione’s Rosemary Room and straightaway had an unrecognizable bond with her. The bond was like no other like she was again that girl whom he held in his hands and was saying goodbye. Here she was standing right next to him when he had almost given up all hopes of meeting her.

Reunion Messages

“It was just fun to see if I could piece this all together and put them together,” Catey said when they both met. “I’m just really thrilled for the two of them and appreciative that I could play a role in that.”

“I think Ellen was resigned to the fact that she would never find the men who found her,” said Mary’s husband Bob. “John played a significant role. It’s an amazing story already and it’s great to now bring it to a conclusion.”

A Beautiful Gesture

Hickman at that reunion had brought with 3 roses for Mary and he left everyone teary-eyed when he said these words “that this is our third reunion.” He gave Mary each rose as a souvenir for each one of the meetings. Mary and almost everyone was almost choking on tears when he accompanied each rose with a parting message.

The First Rose

Dave presented Mary with the first rose and said, “The first rose is for a little baby girl that God let my grandfather and me, to find in the woods.” The first rose was dedicated to the first meeting with Mary when she was an infant whom Dave and his grandfather found in the woods and then helped her.

The Second One

The next rose was for their second meeting when Dave had to say farewell to the little girl with a name assigned to her by the authorities, “The second is for the little baby girl named Roseann Wayne that two angels brought to me to say good-bye when I was in school,”.

The Final Rose

The last rose was for the lady standing across the room, whom he had met after more than 5 decades and that too after a lot of work for finding her and he said that  “The third rose is for today and for a very special lady who was saved by the hand of God, Mary Ellen Suey,”.

An Unfathomable Bond

Mary never might have thought that the man who saved her life 58 years would end up in her living room someday because she did not even know the name of the person who saved her from a doomed fate. But the moment these guys met, it was like a bond like no other. They were total strangers but they knew each other from the first moment they met.

“Hope Is A Good Thing”

“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

“This story just says that you never give up. You follow your hopes and dreams and believe that it can be done,” said Mary. “It also shows that we have a lot of good people here, always have and always will.”She further added. It was the belief of Dave in hope and his perseverance that led to this beautiful moment.

A Trip Of Ironies

Kudos to the trip that was totally full of situational irony more than anyone could ever expect.

The trip that was meant to spot and hunt a ferocious beauty ended up in finding and saving an angelic beauty. The trip that would prove his machoism in front of his mates, ended up proving what a soft-hearted and a sweet guy he was.

Had it not been for this trip, we would have no idea what would be Mary’s fate today.

Miracles Happen

You never know what life’s planning for you and that is rightly said and what exactly it is, is not known by anybody. But meeting a person after 58 years and that too whose name and all the basic details you don’t know is nothing less than a miracle. It may be possible that you might not believe in a miracle, but if it wasn’t a miracle then it wasn’t less than one either.

The Hero We Need

Dave was given the title of a Hero by Mary, and he refused about being a hero. This is the kind of modesty this man possesses despite doing such a great task. While gifting her the third rose he said: “The third rose is for today and for a very special lady who was saved by the hand of God, Mary Ellen Suey,”. These words show how modest that guy was that he had no need for fame and credit.

An Unexpected Ending

If you talk Maths (like I am an expert in it, Pheww), the probability of an occurrence of an event can never be zero, therefore there was still a chance that these two people will come across each other some day or the other. But it would take 58 years, that was not expected either.

So you might say that they got lucky, but if it wasn’t for Dave’s undying hope and perseverance and Catey’s hard work it would have not been possible. The point of the whole story is that it does not matter how hard the problems are, all you need is hope and perseverance.