Grandmother's emotional reunion after being lost in bush for days
An 84-year-old great grandmother lost in unforgiving Western Australian wilderness for three nights has been reunited with the man who found her.
With no food, water, or shelter, Patricia Byrne survived in vast bushland at the foot of the Stirling Ranges by drinking puddles.
Her rescue been dubbed a Christmas miracle.
She had been out walking with family on Thursday morning and stopped for a breather, but when they came back she was gone.
“I lost my way but I figured if I followed the creek bed I’d end at the right place,” Ms Byrne told 7 News.
When she didn’t find her way, a massive search operation was launched.
It was a race against the clock as temperatures soared, and hopes plummeted when hours became days.
Just as all hope seemed lost, the woman stumbled onto a dirt road right into the arms of police officer Steven Ball.
On Monday she received a visit from one of her rescuers who arrived at Albany Hospital to find she was in good spirits.
“I didn’t think I was lost, I thought this crowd was slack and hadn’t noticed I wasn’t there for breakfast,” the great grandmother joked from her hospital bed.
Ms Byrne spent the morning receiving visitors, but there’s still someone special she’s yet to see.
Her new grandchild, a baby boy, was born while she was lost in the wilderness.
