It was Christmas Eve 1971. Juliane, a 17-year-old German girl, was traveling with her mother from Lima, Peru, to Pucallpa, to spend the holidays with her father. LANSA Flight 508 seemed like any other, until it was struck by lightning.
In a matter of moments, the plane broke apart in mid-air, and Juliane was ejected, still strapped into her seat. A fall of over 3,000 meters, deep into the Amazon rainforest. Incredibly, she woke up alive.
Injured, alone, barefoot, and wearing only a light summer dress, Juliane didn't give up. She followed a small stream, as her biologist father had taught her, hoping it would lead her to people. She walked for 11 days, braving mosquitoes, snakes, hunger, rain, and the pain of a broken shoulder.
Finally, she found a lumberjack's cabin. There, she was rescued, cared for, and brought back to civilization. She was the sole survivor out of 92 people.
Juliane is now a biologist; she has written a book and tells her story not to boast, but to tell the world that even in the darkest moments, the strength to move forward can come from within ourselves.
We sometimes find ourselves in difficult situations, unsure of what to do. But just like Juliane, we can choose not to give up. Even when all seems lost, there is always a way forward.