Family grateful for a second chance

Family grateful for a second chance

My name is Lue Hagerty. On Sept. 19, my husband Dane went missing. The police conducted a massive search for him. Based on the evidence they found they did not expect to find him alive.

I believe that a miracle alone helped Dane survive a life threatening injury. After three days of confusion and unconsciousness, he made the decision to find help and is now being treated.

My family and I can't adequately express what a gift it is to have been given a second chance.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those involved in the search for Dane. Especially the following officers from the Kane County Sheriff's office who showed diligence and caring while going about this difficult work: Detective Steve Bruening; Detective Brian McCarty; Detective Brandon McKiness; and Lt. Chris Collins.

We would also like to thank the search and rescue teams and canine units. These dedicated dogs and people worked under incredibly difficult circumstances while searching for our Dane. Most of these trained searchers are volunteers who give selflessly of their time to help desperate families.

We give our thanks to the many friends, neighbors, and co-workers who came out to help search, sent food or just gave a much needed hug or word of encouragement. We would also like to thank the many people in the community who expressed support and prayed for our family. It meant the world to us to have all of you surrounding us with your support.

Through all of this I have gained a new awareness regarding mental illness and how it can affect a family, even one as close and loving as ours. We are hopeful that our experience might prompt even just one person to seek help and save another family from going through what we went through.

If you or anyone you know needs help, please don't be afraid to reach out for help - the National Alliance on Mental Illiness DuPage is at namidupage.org

Lue Hagerty

St. Charles