Everyone at the studio was very nice and helpful, and made sure we knew what we were to do.  Michael, Jim, and I had our own private waiting room, called a "Green Room". They provided plenty of snacks and drinks. (non-alcoholic, of course) There was a monitor in the room so that you could watch the taping of the show before ours. Different staff came in for us to sign papers and brief us on questions and the focus they wanted. Michael would stay in the room the entire time while Jim and I went to hair and makeup. He had his laptop from school with him, so he wasn't bored, plus he could watch our taping, too.

When we finished hair and makeup, there was a break in between taping of shows. Soon, Jim and I were called downstairs to the room where all of the guests stayed while waiting for their turn onstage. An overhead monitor showed what would be on the show, at least in rough draft form. The MS show had sent a cameraman to our home a few weeks prior to tape and they used that footage along with photos as an introduction, and during the on-stage time. They did this for each of the four families. There was plenty of fruit and other snacks in that room, but no one was eating. We were all fitted with microphones and then the taping was to begin. We spoke to each other when the monitor was dark for commercial breaks, but it was just chit-chat interspersed with words of encouragement.

Missing Maura Murray's family went first, and they had the longest segment. They showed how her father, Fred, went on foot searches every weekend in the wooded area where his daughter disappeared. As he turned over tarps and looked in pipes, (from his pre-show footage) you could feel the pain that must cause thinking that you might uncover a body, the body of your own child. I fought back tears.

Next was Meghan, whose mother Jan Stavros disappeared a couple of years ago. She started crying on air, but was able to go on. What a brave young woman! 

Missing college student Brooke Wilberger's siblings took the stage next. One of the sisters had a really hard time and cried, but was still able to speak. I hoped I would not cry because when I do, I cannot speak. Upon hearing the stories and seeing the pain of these families, you couldn't help but get teary eyed. I had to really fight it because our turn was next.

We were called and stood together at the double doors that separated us from the studio audience and Montel. A man stood by, waiting for the cue to open the doors. I said a quick prayer, the doors opened, and we took the two steps up to the stage. The audience applauded. Two chairs were set up by Montel and I took the one beside him as I walked on first. He shook hands with us. More footage rolled by with Jason's photo.

Some of this is a blur because of the nature of it all. I felt calm and I knew I could do it. It was also reassuring that his interactions with the other families were very compassionate, and there were no hard questions we hadn't been asked beforehand. I recall looking into his eyes and answering his first question about what Jason is like. I think Jim added to it as well. I was able to look out into the audience and felt they were all very attuned to our stories. Jim answered a question about what we thought had happened to Jason and he made a plea to the audience to help us and to ease our pain. He seemed calm as well.

The other families had two segments, but after that portion, Montel thanked us for being there. We thanked him for having us there, shook hands, and walked offstage. Of course, I had much more to say, but we were the short segment and it was over as quick as it began. With a viewing audience (I am told) of  3 million, we will take what we can get. Out of hundreds of thousands, we were chosen, and we are very blessed.

After that, Kym Pasqualini, founder of the Center for Missing Adults took the stage and spoke about the prejudices families like our encounter. I was glad it was over for us. We could really feel the relief in the room with the other family members. As the staff members told us, it would go very fast, and it did. When the taping was over, we all went back upstairs and prepared to leave. Montel had to leave town immediately, so we did not see him again. We were given a guest bag with a Montel T-shirt, hat, photo, and other goodies. We were told the show could air anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months from the taping date. They will let us know.

One of the assistants went back out to the studio to see if there were any of our Project Jason Personal ID Kits left over. We brought 200. There were 150 in the audience, and they were all gone. That made me happy to think that 200 more people would understand the need for a kit, and have that valuable info in case they become a statistic. Anyone who thinks it can't happen to them is sadly mistaken. We never would have imagined this happening to our family, but it has.

We said our good-byes to the staff and headed back to the hotel. We changed clothes and took a cab to the Museum of Natural History. We then went to St Patrick's Cathedral and after that walked back to Times Square and found a place to eat. It was cold, rainy, and uncomfortable, but I think our hearts were warmed by knowing that we had come this far, not just in miles, but in our efforts to find our son. We went back to the hotel early, as we had to get up at 5am to leave the city and go back to our life in Omaha.

We were also blessed in that they allowed our son, Michael to come and paid his way, even though he wasn't on the show. As we cannot afford to travel, he's never been anywhere or been on an airplane. He had a good time. I figured it was a gift I could give him for having lost his only brother, so I had pushed for his inclusion on the trip.

Sleep didn't come easily for some reason. I then woke up at 2am and was unable to get back to sleep. The alarm went off at 5am and we prepared to leave. It would be a long day, but we could be fueled by knowing that we had accomplished what we set out to do. We went down to the lobby and stepped outside onto the picturesque New York City Street. The streets were nearly silent, which was such a change from the norm there. I looked up at the dark sky, partially lit by the old lampposts, and saw that a cleansing snow was falling ever so gently upon the brick streets. God had sent us that sign that He has never left our side and that life is indeed beautiful.