At 6:30 pm on Monday, April 6, 2026, Brent wrapped up his day in his office in Grover Beach, CA and called his wife Aurajoy to say that he was starting his walk home. He wasn’t feeling well. Troubling symptoms had plagued him for over a year. He had inexplicably lost over 50 pounds during the preceding months, and suffered from headaches and numbness in his limbs. His blood sugar was all over the map. His doctor had put him first on Metformin, then on insulin, with little change in his symptoms.
Brent left the office and stopped by the convenience store across the street, where he complained to the cashier that he was having trouble seeing out of his left eye. After making his purchase, he started the short walk to his house. He never made it home.
When Brent didn’t arrive as expected on Monday night and didn’t answer his phone, Aurajoy knew something was very wrong. She filed a missing and endangered person report with the Grover Beach Police Department that evening. When he still hadn’t arrived the next morning, she escalated the issue with the police. Given the possibility of a medical emergency, the GBPD issued a public call announcement that afternoon and local news stations picked up the story. Brent’s family started a coordinated search throughout the Grover Beach area. Drones and volunteers were deployed to help with the search, but the efforts were fruitless. His phone went straight to voicemail. There was no sign of financial activity on his accounts. Brent seemed to have simply vanished.
At about 4:30 pm on Tuesday, April 7, the detective working the case for the GBPD received a phone call from San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies in Arroyo Grande, a neighboring town. They had found Brent – severely dehydrated, intensely sunburned, partially paralyzed and profoundly disoriented, but alive. They transported him to the nearest hospital.
As Brent was being stabilized and undergoing testing, his wife and family learned the details of the previous 24 hours. Brent had started the walk home but became increasingly confused and unable to make sense of his surroundings. He missed the turn to his house and just kept walking. He walked through the night, at one point following some railroad tracks, at another point stumbling in the dark and breaking his toe. He continued walking throughout the next day in the relentless sun. He had had nothing to drink or eat since the previous day. His foot throbbed and his disorientation deepened.
Towards the end of the day, he came upon a house. Convinced that it was his, he found a way into the house and collapsed on the sofa. When the homeowner returned from his workday, he found Brent passed out in his living room. In an age when people don’t think twice about shooting intruders, this man kept calm and called the authorities – a true Good Samaritan.
Brent was found only about 5 miles from where he started. But authorities estimate that he walked between 15 and 20 miles to get there – thirsty, tired, bewildered, and in pain.
As test results came in at the hospital, it became clear that Brent had suffered a significant stroke. The scans also showed that it was not his first – his brain showed evidence of multiple smaller strokes in the past. The strokes appear to have been caused by cardiac stress and arrhythmia. In addition, his pancreas showed signs of compromised function. It is likely that these are all symptoms of advanced diabetes, but the type and treatment is still unclear.
It is hard to describe the relief his wife and family felt when he was found alive, or the depth of our gratitude to the Grover Beach Police Department, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department, the many folks who participated in the search and offered prayers, the cool-headed homeowner who discovered him, and the excellent staff at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital. Brent is cherished and we are so thankful to have him. But he has a long road of recovery ahead. The stroke has left him partially blinded and partially paralyzed. He will need to be assessed by a cardiologist and other specialists. He will be in physical therapy for a long time. The prognosis is good but the climb will be steep – and jaw-droppingly expensive.
Even with his insurance, medical costs will likely come in at around $30,000. In addition, since Brent is a small business owner, his income will take a deep hit while he takes time to recover. If you know and love Brent (to know him is to love him), please consider making a donation to lighten his load and light his way. Even if you don’t know him but are just inspired by his story, his resilience, and the many things that went right to ensure that he made it back to his family, any small contribution would be so appreciated. We will keep you updated on his condition as we can.