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“The last 17 days of my life have been the toughest days of my life.”
“It did come down to life and death and I had to choose, and I chose life.”
This the story of Amanda Eller. Amanda was finally rescued on Friday 24thMay 2019 when she waved down a rescue helicopter after more than two weeks lost in the forest in Maui, Hawaii.
Lost and Found (the story of Amanda Eller)
On Wednesday 8thof May 2019, Amanda Eller left her vehicle in the Makawao Forest Reserve car park and set out on a short 3-mile hike along a forest trail. She briefly left the trail to take a rest, became disorientated, and tragically plunged 20 feet down a cliff face breaking her leg whilst trying to find the path. Sadly, she was heading in the wrong direction.
Amanda was forced to forage for berries and small insects, and drink water from a nearby stream. She was caught in a flash flood and lost her shoes. She endured sunburn, cuts, scrapes, a torn knee, and other physical trauma before she was eventually found in a deep ravine by rescuers more than two weeks later.
The rescuers were paid for by a GoFundMe Campaign which had been set up by her friends and family who had been convinced that she was still alive, despite all the odds saying otherwise and the authorities abandoning their search some days earlier.
From her hospital bed, Amanda spoke of the “significant spiritual journey” that she had been on. How she decided that she “wasn’t going to take the easy way out, even though that meant more suffering and pain for myself.” She also described “Total times of fear and loss and wanting to give up” and the choice that she made – to choose life.
Survival Against the Odds
Amanda’s story is profound.
Yes, because we all love a good ‘survival against the odds’ story but also because of the similarities that can be drawn with life and how we chose to live it.
As a result of her extreme experience, Amanda was prompted to reflect, review, and appreciate life. She was forced to recognize the true value of the things that she loves the most, at a deeply philosophical level.
How many of us, if faced with this challenge, would respond in this way?
In fact, how many of us are capable of this reflecting to this deep level right now?
Time
Here’s the thing, thankfully, there isn’t a need for us all to get lost in the wilderness to work out what really matters.
As people get older and time marches on, many of us start to question and reflect on the value and meaning of things.
Sometimes people experience a total collapse in their sense of purpose. During this time, they struggle to see the value or sense in anything any longer. This event sometimes referred to as a dark night of the soul, often comes as a result of a tragedy, loss, or trauma. Other times it can hit us like a sledgehammer out of the darkness, when we least expect it, with no seeming cause.
The fact of the matter is that it can happen to any of us. We are all vulnerable.
Something Deeper
What stories like that of Amanda Eller teach us is that despite everything that life throws our way, it is possible to get through and, in fact, emerge stronger than before.
Life can have meaning again and in a much more profound way. The power of the human spirit is a remarkable thing.
Eckhart Tolle, The New York Times best-selling author explains this as people “awaken into something deeper, which is no longer based on concepts in your mind. A deeper sense of purpose or connectedness with a greater life that is not dependent on explanations or anything conceptual any longer.”
Things that we once thought were important suddenly fade away.
For some of us, the words of Eckhart Tolle might be a step too far. That’s OK. The point here is that very few of us will have an extreme experience like Amanda Eller. However, many of us will have a dark night of the soul, some of you may even be having one now, but we can get through it. All of us.
Hope
We can all learn a lot from the story of Amanda Eller.
Just like Amanda, when all hope seems lost, when we think that it’s time to let go and give in, look deep inside and connect with those things that warm your heart.
Amanda’s friends and family refused to give in. We all, oo, have special people in our lives who would devote their lives to finding us. For those of us that don’t feel this way, never give up on the beauty and collective will of humanity. One of her rescuers, who didn’t know her, described finding Amanda as ‘the greatest day of my life’.
Whether we are lost in the wilderness, currently having a dark moment, or just plain busy, try and take some time this week and think about those things that matter to you the most.
Your time is running out second by second. Use it wisely.
Looking for further inspiration? Read these articles from The Rediscovery of Me:
