GREAT EUROPEANS: In May 2019, 35-year-old yoga instructor Amanda Eller went on a short hike. She ventured into the dense Mokawao Forest on the island of Maui, Hawaii.

She planned to meditate in the trees for just a few minutes and then immediately return to the car. A phone and wallet were left inside the car; the trace was familiar, and time was limited.

And one second was enough to change everything.

After Meditating she carried on strolling and carelessly and carefree went unnoticed from the main road.

The trees seemed the same, the paths intertwined, the shadows became thicker. Increasingly scared, Amanda tried to return, but didn’t find any familiar sights. She ended up in the heart of a huge, merciless forest.

What began as a peaceful day slowly turned into a fight for life.

She had no food, no water, and no phone. Only one’s own physical endurance and the soul, which had to undergo a brutal test.

Amanda was walking barefoot. During one of the falls, she badly injured her leg, which made every step more difficult.

She ate berries and wild plants, drank water from streams, and slept between the tree roots. Every day, the sun, humidity and hunger depleted her more and more. Wounds and infections began to take their toll.

On a stormy night

On a stormy night, a sudden unexpected stream of water knocked her down. It carried her far down and destroyed the remaining power.

Often, she had to crawl over a steep rock to find shelter. She spent one night in a wild boar’s den to avoid freezing.

She heard the sound of helicopters flying over the forest. Screaming, waving my hands was futile. The forest was too thick and completely hid her from the pilots.

Hope was weakening

Meanwhile, rescuers, volunteers, pilots and search crews took part in the largest rescue operation in Maui’s history. Day after day, the hope was weakening, but one of her friends refused to give up. She hired a private pilot to scout an area unavailable to official teams.

And on the seventeenth day, a day that could have been her last day a miracle happened.

The pilot flew over a narrow gorge near a hidden waterfall. There they saw Amanda. She looked exhausted, thin, and sunburnt. However, she was frantically waving her hands.

When rescuers arrived, it was discovered that Amanda had suffered multiple injuries and had lost a lot of weight. But an unquenchable thirst for life burned in her eyes.

After being rescued, she said:

‘I was hungry and afraid, but inside me there was a small loud truth: do not give up.’

Her story shocked the world. Her experience was an incredible survival adventure. It left both awe and the question: how did she survive for so long? And how was she not found despite an extensive search?

And despite all the controversies, one truth remains:

When a man clings to life and relies on God, his will is strong. He can go through the forest, darkness, hunger, and fear. It can even achieve what seems impossible.

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AFRICA’S DOGS OF WAR. legendary mercenary bestsellers by the man who wears the dirty tee-shirt: SWEETHEARTS OF DEATH, THE STIGMA ENIGMA and RETRIBUTION. https://michaelwalshbooks.wordpress.com/