After being trapped in the middle of the Andes in decaying conditions for 72 days, the sixteen survivors of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 were rescued. Since the moment of their rescue, they were reborn; they started living a new life. They all changed, the perspective they had on life was different, and they all were touched by the force of being pushed to their limits. Even when continuing with their lives seemed like something extremely complicated, they all decided to do so.
This accident left them all with fear. Fear became their closest enemy and it seemed impossible to leave it behind. They all feared having to go back to conditions similar to the ones they confronted while being on the plane, having to often turn to their last resorts. It seemed impossible for all of them to carry on with their lives after being so terribly scarred by the conditions like the severe cold, loneliness, pain, hunger, and desperation; yet they all did it, and they took as much positive things as they could from this. It’s absurd to try to forget what happened, traumatic situations like this one always leave a mark on every person and it is very admirable what they did to try to show others that life goes on.
Although some people might consider that this experience can’t bring anything positive in life, these survivors have all proved them wrong. More than going on with their lives and remembering what happened with respect, most of them give conferences telling their stories, each from a different point of view. For example, some of them, especially Javier Methol and Ramón “Moncho” Sabella, give conferences focused on how they felt “touched” by God and He was the one who helped them be saved. They all created “Fundación Viven”, a foundation through which they do campaigns to promote the donation of organs and give “life after death” to a person in need. Undoubtedly, this accident marked them all, but it gave them all the strength of sharing their story to other people and inspiring them with it. Both Fernando “Nando” Parrado and Carlitos Páez have written books narrating their experience from a more personal point of view.