It could be a Lifesaver: Mother Seeks Funds to Help Lost Loved Ones

Nov. 3, 2004

For Michelle St. Amant, the thought of her autistic son disappearing or getting lost was a constant concern.
Andre Krist, 18, used to wander off unexpectedly. “I’d take him to the store and before I’d know it, he’d be gone,” she recalls. “One time I found him outside our home in his pj’s, walking down the street. I asked him where he was going and he said he was going to see his dad. But he had no conception of what he was doing -- he’d walk right out in front of a car and not know any better.”
Two years ago, St. Amant saw a television program about a mother in a similar predicament, Jean Saunders of Chesapeake, Virginia, who had launched Project Lifesaver, a tracking program for persons with Alzheimer’s, autism, mental retardation and other disorders which tend to produce lost souls.
Since then, she’s been working on getting a Project Lifesaver program up and running in the Grand Traverse area. The program gained a sense of poignancy with the death of her son from health complications last April.

RARE DISORDER
“My son was born with a rare genetic disorder called galactosemia,” St. Amant says. “His body didn’t have an enzyme he needed to metabolize milk sugar, which turned toxic. As a result, he came down with meningitis and developed severe scoleosis, retardation and autism.”
The disorder has a one-in-100,000 likelihood and is diagnosed on a routine basis as part of hospital newborn screening. But St. Amant says the screening wasn’t performed when Andre was born in Rogers City.
“He had a seizure disorder in his teens and suffered a great deal until his death,” she recalls. “He was also often terrified of the world. Little things like Tweety Bird, the cartoon character, would really upset him.” She adds that one plaything Andre did feel comfortable with was his Elmo doll.
An artist in ceramics and sculpting whose work is displayed at the Twisted Fish Gallery in Elk Rapids, St. Amant grew up in Dearborn and lived in Alpena before moving to Traverse City 10 years ago.
Here, she struggled to raise her son, obtaining a catering job with the Waterfront Inn. But Andre’s wanderings were a source of stress.
“It became enough of a problem where I couldn’t take him anywhere or he’d be gone,” she says. “It’s a big problem for those caring for people with autism, retardation or Alzheimer’s. Two-thirds of them end up wandering.”

TRACKING SYSTEM
Project Lifesaver provides a vinyl bracelet that’s worn on the wrist or ankle. The bracelet contains a battery and a tiny waterproof transmitter with its own special frequency. Originally, the system was designed to track banded animals.
If a loved-one becomes lost, he or she can be tracked down with the use of a mobile tracking system that has a seven-mile radius. Typically, the tracking equipment is carried in a sheriff’s patrol car or on Coast Guard aircraft.
Recently, St. Amant received a $2,600 locating system from Project Lifesaver in Virginia in return for a sculpture she had created of a lost child being rescued. She’s been working with Grand Traverse County Sheriff Scott Fewins to launch the system in Northern Michigan.
“We’re purchasing the system for Grand Traverse County, but it could be used for all of Northern Michigan,” she says.
But there are additional costs involved. Typically, the bracelets run $263 and there is a $25 maintenance fee. And ideally, two locating systems are necessary at a total cost of nearly $5,300.
Thus, St. Amant is seeking funds to help make Project Lifesaver a reality. “We had $750 donated so far from someone who heard about a drowned little girl who had wandered away,” she notes. “We’d like to have Project Lifesaver available to the public before winter.”
Recently, St. Amant was cheered to obtain the assistance of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. Persons interested in donating to Project Lifesaver can contact the Foundation, or call St. Amant directly for information or to make a contribution at 231-935-1855.