Sometimes, the unimaginable happens.
This could be unimaginable in a good way, like winning the $700 million lottery jackpot. Or it could be unimaginable in a bad way. Like. Well. You know those bad ways that none of us want to imagine.
Such was the case nearly a quarter of a century ago. To a skydiver named Joan Murray.
First, let’s talk about skydiving. I’ll just tell you, flat out (no pun intended), that skydiving is not for me. I can’t see any reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Sure, sure, I know. Skydiving is a popular and relatively safe high-adrenaline activity.
But let us face it. Accidents do happen. And with that, I’d rather trip and fall on the sidewalk than out of a plane with a non-working parachute.
And that is exactly what skydiving enthusiast Joan Murray learned on her 36th dive, back in 1999. After jumping from a plane in North Carolina—at an altitude of 14,500 feet—she pulled her parachute string, and nothing happened. Nadda. Zip.
She attempted to deploy her reserve parachute but couldn’t. So after two chutes failed her, good old Joan was free falling to the ground. And then. She hit the ground. Hard. As one might do when they just dropped 14,500 feet.
But something miraculous occurred. Joan landed on a nest of fire ants. Somehow, it reduced the impact on her body. And she lived. Although, she still ended up with significant injuries.
Nonetheless, she had a weak heartbeat, lying there, splatted on the ground, after the devastating trauma. And Joan likely would have died had it not been for another miracle.
Hundreds of fire ants began biting her. The doctors believe the venom shocked her heart and kept it pumping, due to the adrenaline surges it caused.
Help came for Joan. She had a long haul ahead, including a medically induced coma, several surgeries, and a long period of rehabilitation. But she recovered and lived for several more decades.
Here’s another thing. She even went skydiving again.
Now. If this happened to me? I’m not sure I would test the “skydiving gods” twice. I’d just give thanks that I was spared the first time and pay homage to fire ants whenever I saw one.
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“Just what makes that little old ant
Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can’t
Move a rubber tree plant
But he’s got high hopes, he’s got high hopes
He’s got high apple pie, in the sky hopes”
— Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen
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“Miracles happen every day, change your perception of what a miracle is and you’ll see them all around you.” – Jon Bon Jovi
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“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” – C.S. Lewis
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Is it “whoopsy” if you meant to go splat?
