And remember, this isn't a "Ford" at all, it's a Mazda.
Removing the rod from the latch is a great tip. :thumbup:
Another trick to getting something like that out if you can't reach it, is to unbolt the latch from the door. Unbolt the handle and then pull the handle off the door pulling the latch up by the rod. Now you have the handle and the rod outside the door and you can have more access to it.
I do that all the time with a lot of late model handles.
Brian