BAKER COUNTY, Fla. – The 8-year-old boy with autism who went missing in the Baker County woods for more than two days has been home from the hospital for nearly a week.
Peyton Blodgett's dramatic rescue by law enforcement officers became the talk of the town last week, and Friday his family will have a media day at the Baker County Sheriff's Office to update everyone on his progress.
Thursday night, News4Jax spoke exclusively to grandparents on both sides of the family, and they said Peyton is back to living a very full life.
"Peyton's doing much better. He's back to himself," said Jennifer Witt, Peyton's paternal grandmother. "He thinks of this as a big adventure."
Witt said having Peyton back home has been exhilarating after his near-death scare. He spent a weekend lost in the Baker County woods before law enforcement officers found him severely dehydrated. Peyton's parents said his kidneys were failing, his skin was gray and his eyes were sinking in when authorities found him.
But after spending the rest of the week recovering at Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Peyton made it home in time for Halloween night with his family.
The first thing he did was eat one of his favorite meals: grits and eggs.
"He stayed over Saturday night. He was here with me and his dad. It was nice," Witt said. "I was happy that he didn't seem traumatized, and he seems like he's totally 100 percent back to his normal self."
Clayton Rewis, Peyton's maternal grandfather, picked him up from the hospital last Friday, and the family had a big surprise planned once they got Peyton home.
"He likes airplanes, so when we brought him home, we carried him out to Tyler Field and let him sit in an airplane that was broken down," Rewis said. "He sat in there and steered the steering wheel, him and his sister."
Rewis said physically, Peyton continues to improve. He said the boy's kidneys are now functioning at 80 percent and he's gained a pound and a half in the last week.
Rewis said Peyton is full of life and back to playing with his dog, Bojangles.
"He gets up, eats breakfast, plays with his dog a little bit," Rewis said. "We come outside with him a little while, let him get some air and sun, and he's just living a full life."
Rewis said every once in a while, Peyton will say, "Y'all found me," but beyond that he doesn't think Peyton understands much about his ordeal.
"I'm just glad it's over with, and I appreciate everyone who helped find him," Rewis said.
The family plans to formally thank the public and the Sheriff's Office for their efforts to find Peyton at Friday's media day.