SLC Ambassador Offers Helping Hand on One Man’s Journey Home

Ambassador Lillian helped Michael Black on his journey home.

“It has reminded me that at any time, you never know when you will be part of something MUCH bigger than yourself,” Salt Lake City Ambassador Lillian Logani said. “It makes my heart warm and gives me motivation to continue doing what I do and continuing doing the next right thing.”

Lillian was one of a handful of individuals 91-year-old Korean War Veteran Michael Black encountered on a multi-day, 200-mile hitchhiking journey that spanned three states. Michael suffered from dementia, and his wife was desperate to find him.

The day before Thanksgiving, Lillian came across Michael, who was looking confused as he came out of a building. She spoke to him and found out he had been staying at a shelter but didn’t know where it was or how to get back. She made a few calls, discovered he had been housed at The Men’s Rescue Mission and offered to take him there since it was a good distance away.

“On our way down to The Mission, he told me stories of him being in the Korean War,” Lillian said. “We got to know each other, and when we reached the shelter, he recognized the place and began to cry. He thanked me for helping him find his way.”

Lillian had a feeling the man might be suffering from an age-related mentally debilitating condition, so she spoke to the shelter staff and asked them to keep a special eye on him.

On Saturday, Lillian turned on the TV to see the man she had helped just a few days earlier: he was a feature story. Through a series of fortunate events, Michael’s wife Avril spotted him in the background of a news segment. A local station featured the shelter (the one that Lillian dropped him off at) hosting their Thanksgiving dinner. As some b-roll spanned across the crowd, there was Michael. Avril called it her “Thanksgiving miracle” and quickly made the journey from Wyoming to Utah to pick up her husband.

But, as fate would have it, just days after Michael got home, he became sick with a cough that became influenza. After a short stay in the hospital, he was released on hospice and passed away at his home.

Avril expressed her gratitude to everyone who helped Michael on his journey and was thankful she was able to spend his final days with him.

The news station that had originally aired the story about the shelter’s dinner continued coverage even after Michael’s passing.

“If you had not shown that on the TV and I hadn’t put it on. He wouldn’t have gone in peace. Maybe he would’ve fallen in a ditch somewhere,” Avril told the news station. “It was his time, it was his time, and he had an adventure, and he enjoyed his little adventure. That’s life, I guess.”

After finding out about Michael’s passing, Ambassador Lillian was sad but grateful that he was able to get back home.

“It makes me emotional; however, I am at peace knowing that his wife was able to spend the last days of his life with him,” Lillian said.

To learn more about this story, visit:

https://www.live5news.com/video/2024/12/06/wife-spots-missing-husband-news-segment/

https://ksl.com/article/51206360/missing-husband-dies-after-miraculously-being-found-on-ksl-tv-news

https://www.gofundme.com/f/michaels-final-days-avril-needs-your-help