Survival Stories
In times of struggle and strife, humanity always finds a way. When the the clock runs low and the chips are down, these unbelieavable stories of survival will remind you of the strength of the human spirit.
How an 18-Year-Old Helped Save a Hiker Who Fell 75 Feet Off a Mountain Cliff
An 18-year-old went on a hike with his mom—and returned home a hero. Here's how his quick actions saved a hiker in need.
This Teacher Saved a Grandmother’s Life Thanks to Virtual School at Home
“If it wasn’t for them,” said Phillips, “I wouldn’t be here.”
When a Medevac Plane Couldn’t Land Because the Runway Lights Were Out an Entire Village Used T...
“Any time a plane flies over that late, you know something is wrong.”
What It Was Like to Escape a Wildfire In the Middle of the Night
Two retirees recount their narrow escape from their home during a wildfire in Oregon.
A Group of Teens on Their Surf Boards Saved Two Swimmers from Drowning
Two swimmers struggle for their lives until a group of teens arrive on their boards.
This Woman Almost Lost Her Leg Due to an Ant Bite
After an ant bite, a woman with type 1 diabetes was told she needed an amputation. Here's how doctors were...
This Man Was Superfit When He Got COVID-19—And Then He Lost His Leg
After a severe COVID-19 diagnosis, a personal trainer is left in a wheelchair after having his right leg and left...
This Woman Was Trapped in Her Car on an Embankment for Days Before Concerned Neighbors Found Her
Trapped in her car down an embankment, Corine began to lose hope...
13 Powerful Things Surviving a Terrorist Attack Taught Me About Life
Here's how I learned to see the good in a world that can seem, at times, to be horrifically evil.
Twists of Fate That Saved These People’s Lives on 9/11
These stories will leave you speechless.
I Survived 9/11—These Are the 15 Questions Young People Ask Me the Most
Twelve-years-old at the time of the attack, the author survived, and so did her family. But as the days continued...
After a Horrible Car Crash, Her Odds of Survival Were Just 100 to One
A car crash left Molei Wright functionally decapitated. Even if her body survived, her mind might never be the same.
This Man Broke 15 Bones When He Fell into a Glacier—Here’s How He Survived
He knew that if he couldn't climb out, that crack in the ice would become his grave.
How This Quadriplegic Man Learned How to Move His Limbs…with His Mind
Ian Burkhart was the first quadriplegic to regain control of his body using his thoughts.
How I Escaped from Cuba in 1969 in the Wheel Well of a Jet
This RD classic from 50 years ago tells the thrilling story of a teen who made a daring escape...
Here’s How I Survived a Shark Attack
Mike Coots was surfing with his buddies near his home in Kauai when he was attacked by a shark. He...
When 20 Miners Became Stranded in an Elevator Shaft, One Man Transported Them All to Safety
Below the trapped miners was an empty elevator shaft, 2,000 feet deep....
How a Boy Scout Nearly Drowned to Fight Racism in His Troop
One Moth storyteller explains the courage it took to accomplish what no one thought he could.
5 Split-Second Decisions People Made That Saved Their Own Lives
Kidnapped at gunpoint? Cornered by a mountain lion? Stranded in a snowstorm? These everyday people saved their own lives with...
This 92-Year-Old Man Was Still an Accomplished Hiker—But Then He Went Missing
It wasn’t the first time Bill McDonnell had blazed his own trail...
In a Freak Accident, This Woman Was Shot in the Neck with an Arrow and It Ended Up Saving Her Life
After a backyard accident almost kills her, a Texas woman is taken on a miraculous medical journey.
This Man Beheaded a Snake—And It Still Bit Him
When Jeremy Sutcliffe decapitated the poisonous rattler threatening his wife, he assumed that would be the end of it. He...
When This Farmer’s Leg Got Caught in an Auger, He Grabbed a Pocketknife and Did the Unthinkabl...
With his leg caught in the sharp, whirling teeth of a gigantic corn conveyor and no one around to hear...
A 17-Year-Old Stepped In to Save a Choking Boy When No One Else Could
Tyra Winters was participating in her homecoming parade when she saw a child choking in the crowd.
12 Titanic Survivors: What Happened to Them Next
That fateful night was the beginning of the rest of their lives—for better or for worse.
25 Years After the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Stories of Rescue Will Still Bring You to Tears
It has been 25 years since a truck bomb ripped through a federal office building in Oklahoma City. The tales...
How Being a Girl Scout Saved My Life
Their tight-knit Buddy System was a literal life-saver.
Getting a Second Opinion from a Different Doctor Saved This Man from Potentially Going Partially Bli...
Rushed appointments. Profits over patients. Faulty diagnoses. There are plenty of reasons to worry about medical providers today. A veteran...
His Parachute Got Stuck on the Plane’s Wheel and He Was Suspended in Midair with Little Chance...
Almost 80 years after it unfolded in the sky over San Diego, a nearly impossible rescue mission remains one of...
After Getting Stranded at the Top of a Waterfall, These Rafters Were Saved After Sending a Message i...
It was a long shot... but it worked.