Parents hoping for normalcy as Thai cave survivors head home
Nearly a month after they first went missing in a cave in Thailand, 12 boys and their soccer coach are going home Wednesday. Ahead of their release, "CBS This Morning" spoke to a mom of one of the boys. Chanta Jai-Ngiem has been waiting nearly a month to hug her son, Dom.
Chanta said when she first heard Dom had been found, she was overcome with emotion. She first saw his face on TV when Thai officials released video of the boys alive inside the cave after nine days.
"I was crying and screaming with happiness," she said.
The boys began arriving at the hospital more than a week ago, after 18 days trapped in the cave and a daring rescue operation. All 12 boys and their coach were in overall good health, but several boys had lung and ear infections. They lost weight, up to 11 pounds.
Chanta said she's ready for things to go back to normal.
"I would like my son to have a normal life," she said. "I would like it to be the same it was before."
Normalcy is something most parents seem to want.
Somboon, the father of 16-year-old Nite, said he worries about how the spotlight will affect the boys.
"I want my son to forget everything, and just move on," Somboon said. "I don't want him thinking about life in the cave."