84-Year-Old Florida Woman 'Grateful to Be Alive' After Son Swam to Rescue Her From Flooded Home
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Karen Lauder and other family members displaced by Hurricane Ian.
An 84-year-old woman says she is grateful to be alive after her son rescued her from the home where she was trapped by rising Hurricane Ian flood waters.
Karen Lauder, a resident of Naples, Florida, who uses a wheelchair, was up to her neck in water when her son and grandson arrived. They swam more than a half-mile to reach her.
“If I could have ran to the door, got to the door and opened it up, I would have given him a great big hug for being there,” Karen tells Inside Edition.
Karen’s son John and his son Xavier wrapped Karen up in the only dry sheets in her house to keep her from getting hypothermia. Then they pushed her through knee-deep water in her wheelchair to safety.
Karen is in the hospital being treated for bacterial infections from the dirty flood water.
“I told my son more than once I love him, and I do appreciate him more than he knows,” Karen said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Karen and other family members displaced by Hurricane Ian.