Can you help a survivor of the 2004 Tsunami find the Thai family who helped him?

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Please Help: Can You Help Us Find Upin And Pitchat?

Our names are Emily and Ben Willgrass and nearly 10 years ago on 26th December 2004 our family’s life was changed forever when we were caught up in the Asian Tsunami in Phuket. On our journey to find high ground a Thai couple took us in and looked after us whilst our Dad went in search for our Mum who was missing. Tragically her body was found later that day.

During the worst moment of our lives Upin and Pitchat were there for us and our family and we are trying to find them now. They let us stay with them until we could leave Phuket the following day, and as Phuket Airport was closed, drove us over 870km to Bangkok so we could fly back to England. Words cannot explain how thankful we are for the help and support they gave us, and the kindness they showed at a time when it was needed most will never be forgotten.

We have not seen Upin and Pitchat since this day. We are coming to Phuket in a week (20th July) and are trying to find them now in the hope that we can meet them again and thank them for everything they did for us and our family.

• Can you help us?
• Do you recognise Upin & Pitchat?
• Do you know where they are?
• We last saw them on high ground on Thawewong Road somewhere between Patong Beach and Paradise Beach
• We think Upin and Pitchat are their nicknames.
• Please tell them we are looking for them.
• Please share this with your friends and family.

Please share this in the hope that either Upin or Pitchat or someone who knows them will see this and let us know where they are.

If anyone has any information please contact us at [email protected], Tweet #findupinandpitchat or find us on Facebook (Ben Willgrass). Thank you.xx

[Somtamnication]

Very touching. I hope they are found. I remember that day all too well.

[losworld]

There are still many good Thais out there who will help someone in need.

A number of years ago a talented and lovely young lady I worked with discovered a terrible cancer. I truly believed at the time she was on her way to becoming the first breakthrough black female country recording artist. I drove her from Los Angeles to Loveland Colorado in her Jeep with her dogs and a lot of Red Bull. I will never forget how the doctor at UCLA accused her of being a druggie because of her weight loss then rolled her wheelchair into the parking lot because she had no insurance. She later received treatment in Colorado but sadly passed away six months later.

Edited July 15, 2014 by losworld

[frimu]

Post it on Facebook and post the facebook link here in this forum. Then we can share it with our Thai friends. That increases the chances to find them!

[SDM0712]

We walked back from Savoy restaurant back to the Holiday Inn and we in our room for about ten minutes before it hit. Never even heard of the word tsunami before. We were lucky, so many weren't. Even after all these years reading a post like this still affects me.

It's a long time ago now, they may not be on the island anymore. Is there anything you can remember, like what work they did, where they lived, where they were from ?

The only advice I can give you is to contact the Phuket Gazette or Phuket News, this is a great human interest story at a time when the world press are slamming the Thais, if you can get your and their pictures in the paper I'm sure someone will know them.

Sorry about your Mum, it was a terrible day.

SDM

PS Just noticed that the post wasn't from them !

Edited July 15, 2014 by SDM0712

[LivinginKata]

This topic is now in the Phuket News section ---> http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/742970-tsunami-survivors-looking-for-phuket-couple-who-helped-them/

Let's close this one to save any duplication of answers.

//CLOSED//