Disclaimer: This story was written for informational purposes only and includes details from my personal experience.
In 2016, my 21-year-old daughter lived in Orlando, Florida. Her life included many high-risk scenarios as she navigated the challenges of mental illness. I found comfort that she never went out alone at night.
I worried she would die young.
Vulnerable, sensitive, and a false sense of grandiosity mix to make a horrific combination. Orlando is hectic --comparatively speaking -- to the safer shores of Satellite Beach where she spent her earlier years.
Whatever your feelings on death, the afterlife, religion, or not, we cannot escape the inevitable. Up for consideration, though, is whether you believe in fate, destiny, luck, or divine intervention.
Maybe nothing at all.
Aging dulls the edges of anxiety. Live well, stay safe, and enjoy every day with no regrets. My best life.
My daughter and her roommate frequented Pulse Nightclub in Orlando to watch, partake in, and commune with the drag population. The night she opted to stay home became an infamous evening of tragedy.
On June 12, 2016, a 29-year-old madman took the lives of 49 people and wounded 53 more. The monster arrived around 2 a.m. while last-call drinks were being served. Roughly 320 patrons were inside Pulse.
After a three-hour standoff with police, Orlando officers eliminated Omar Mateen. He had been armed with semi-automatic weaponry. His were senseless and tragic acts performed by the mentally deranged.
And, my daughter wasn't there that night. Divine intervention?
Monsters are everywhere. Freak accidents occur and are not exclusive to Florida.
These three death-defying incidents will leave you in awe. Maybe even have you questioning divine intervention, too.
September 25, 1999: What was meant to be a thrilling skydiving excursion quickly turned tragic. Joan Murray jumped and her primary chute malfunctioned. Joan's backup chute was tangled, compounding the fear and decreasing her survival odds. The experience had the makings of a potential fatality.
Murray plummeted at eighty miles an hour. In a bizarre turn of events, Joan landed atop a fire ant mound. She suffered more than 200 stings from the awful pests.
The poisonous bites kept her heart pumping and saved her from falling into shock. Her body was badly broken.
Joan fractured her spine and pelvis -- she went into a coma for two weeks. Doctors performed twenty reconstructive surgeries. She was told she would never walk again.
Two years after her skydiving accident, Joan Murray fully recovered, returned to skydiving, and became an inspirational speaker.
December 8, 1963: Rodney Fox was viciously attacked by a great white shark. He was participating in the South Australia Spearfishing Championship at Aldinga Beach.
The shark attack was brutal - exposing Fox's abdomen. All of his ribs were broken on the left side and his lung was ripped open. His scapula was pierced and his diaphragm was punctured. Fox was close to his veins collapsing.
Rodney Fox's spleen was uncovered and his artery was exposed, and he lost large amounts of blood. Tendons, fingers, and the thumb on his right hand were all cut.
Fox required 462 stitches. To this day, he carries a souvenir with him. Part of the shark's tooth remains embedded in his wrist.
Not only did Fox make a full recovery, but he later designed the first underwater observation cage to dive with sharks. He led major expeditions, studied the attackers, and filmed those great whites for over 40 years.
Rodney Fox holds the honor as a miracle survivor of one of the world's worst non-fatal shark attacks.
December 2, 1979: Elvita Adams had no desire to live. She had lost her job. The $100 welfare checks didn't cover her rent. Elvita and her 10-year-old son faced eviction.
Depression clouded her mind and she believed the only solution was to end her life. Elvita stood at the top of the Empire State Building and knew what she had to do.
Once Elvita climbed over the fence surrounding the observational platform on the building’s 86th floor, she jumped. Death was assured.
The drop is approximately 1,050 feet.
It wasn't Elvita Adams' time to die, though. A gust of wind between 23 and 38 mph surged to blow her body back. She landed one flight down. Her feet were planted on the two-and-a-half-foot ledge of the 85th floor.
Elvita was treated at the hospital for a broken hip or pelvis. Following her physical care, she was placed under psychiatric watch until she could be satisfactorily released.
Thankfully, Elvita Adams is well remembered because, despite her attempts, not much happened at all.
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