One of two rescued hikers to be released from hospital
One of two hikers rescued after getting lost for three days in the Trabuco Canyon area of Orange County will be released Sunday from a Mission Viejo hospital where he was treated for dehydration and multiple injuries.
Nicolas Cendoya, 19, of Costa Mesa, will be discharged from Mission Hospital about noon and is expected to hold a news conference about 12:30 p.m., hospital officials said. Cendoya and his friend, Kyndall Jack, became lost in the canyon on Easter Sunday.
Cendoya was found by searchers on Wednesday night, while Jack was rescued on a steep hillside on Thursday. Jack remains at UC Irvine Medical Center, where she is also being treated for dehydration and other injuries.
“There are so many people to thank,” Cendoya said in a prepared statement. “I want to thank all those who never stopped trying to find me and Kyndall. ... To my parents, friends and family -- so many supporters I didn’t even know I had. Thanks to all the nurses and doctors here at Mission for the great care I’ve gotten.
“The whole time I was lost, I felt the presence of Jesus and my friend, Carlos, who died last year of cancer. I felt they were both with me, inspiring me to stay alive. I was so relieved to hear that Kyndall was found and will be okay. I can’t wait to see her face-to-face and give her a big hug. I just want to see for myself that she’s okay.”
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