This Insane Story Erased My Stress

After two days of unconsciousness, Nando Parrado finally woke up. It was October 15, 1972. But this wasn’t the kind of awakening that followed a night of partying or a medical procedure. He opened his eyes to a nightmare: mangled bodies, injured friends, and the wreckage of a plane scattered across an icy mountainside.

Two days earlier, Parrado had been part of a Uruguayan rugby team traveling to Chile for a match. Spirits were high among the players, even though the flight had been delayed due to violent weather over the Andes Mountains, the towering, unforgiving barrier between them and their destination. Eventually, the plane was given clearance for takeoff.

As the plane approached the mountains, the vibrant greens of the lowlands faded into the lifeless grays and browns of the Andes' rugged terrain. The passengers marveled at the breathtaking peaks, some of the highest in the world! But their excitement turned to unease as thick clouds swallowed the plane, leaving them blind to what lay ahead.

Turbulence hit. At first, it was just a few jolts. Then it worsened to sudden drops that felt like falling off a cliff. The passengers gripped their seats as the plane shook violently. Then the clouds parted, revealing a sight: the jagged rock face of a mountain, just 10 feet from the plane’s wings.

The pilots pulled the throttle back hard, engines roaring to full power, but it was too late. The aircraft clipped the mountainside, causing it to break apart. The fuselage tumbled thousands of feet down the icy slopes, coming to rest in a remote glacial valley.

Of the 45 people on board, 25 miraculously survived the crash. Nando Parrado was one of them. But surviving the crash was only the beginning.

Stranded in the Death Zone

The survivors found themselves trapped in one of the most isolated places on Earth 12,000 feet above sea level, in subzero temperatures, surrounded by towering peaks. They had no way to call for help, and their white aircraft blended into the snow, making aerial searches impossible.

At first, they made do with what little they had. Melting snow for water, rationing scraps of food, and huddling together inside the shattered fuselage to stay warm. They clung to hope, believing that rescue would come.

But days turned into weeks. Their food ran out, and starvation set in. With no other option, they faced an unthinkable choice: eat the frozen bodies of their dead friends or die themselves.

Parrado resisted the idea at first. His mother, Xenia, had died on impact, and his younger sister, Susy, had initially survived but passed away in his arms days later. He couldn’t bear the thought of their bodies being consumed. But survival instincts left no room for feelings. To live, they had to do the unthinkable. The first body they ate was the pilot’s since they held him responsible for the crash. The survivors ate several other bodies while waiting to be rescued.

The Avalanche Strikes

Just as they began to accept their grim reality, another disaster struck. On the night of October 29, more than two weeks after the crash, an avalanche roared down the mountainside, burying the fuselage in a suffocating blanket of snow. Eight more survivors were killed instantly.

The rest, trapped beneath the snow, clawed their way out, gasping for air. They had barely begun to process the trauma of the crash, and now, even more of their friends were gone. The situation had gone from dire to almost hopeless.

Parrado knew he couldn’t wait any longer. If they stayed, they would all die. There was only one option: escape.

No Plan B

More than two months after the crash, on December 12, Nando Parrado and his friend Roberto Canessa made a decision. They would climb out of the valley, cross the Andes on foot, and find help.

They had no mountaineering experience, barely any food, and only makeshift gear sewn together from scraps of the wreckage. But they had one thing working in their favor: there was no plan B. Going back meant death.

For three brutal days, they climbed. The air was thin, their bodies weak, but they pressed on. When they finally reached the summit of a 15,000-foot peak (taller than Mount Rainier!), they hoped to see green valleys and civilization. Instead, all they saw were endless snow-covered mountains stretching in every direction.

Despair set in. “That’s when I knew I was dead,” Parrado later said. “But there’s no way I can go back and eat the bodies of my mother and sister. We will die, but we will die trying. The only way is forward.”

And so, they kept moving.

For ten grueling days, they staggered through ice, deep snow, and deadly crevasses. Their bodies began shutting down. Then, on December 18, they stumbled upon a river. As they followed it, they saw signs of life: a horseshoe, a soup can, a herd of cattle. Finally, on December 20, they spotted a man on horseback on the other side of the river.

They screamed for help, but the rushing water drowned out their voices. Eventually, the man noticed the two men and threw a rock with a note and pen tied to it. The note read, “Tell me what you want.”

Parrado wrote a reply: “I come from a plane that fell into the mountains. We had been walking for ten days. We have no food and can no longer walk. There are 14 others still alive.”

The man read the note, his face twisting in shock. But he believed them. He rode ten hours to the nearest village and returned the next day with a rescue team.

On December 22, helicopters reached the crash site. 72 days after the crash, after surviving against impossible odds, Nando Parrado, Roberto Canessa, and the remaining 14 survivors were finally rescued.

The survivors and wreckage moments before rescue

I came across this story last week while struggling with my stress and anxiety, adjusting to living alone for the first time.

Then, I read about Parrado.

Suddenly, my problems seemed small. If 16 people could survive a plane crash, an avalanche, starvation, and 72 days in the Andes, I could handle a little stress.

So the next time you feel overwhelmed, remember: at least you’re not stranded in the damn Andes. You can handle it.

This story also made me realize something powerful: we’re all more capable than we think, especially when there’s no Plan B.

Parrado and Canessa had no way back. That’s why they succeeded.

Sometimes, having no backup plan is the greatest motivator. It forces us to dedicate every ounce of our energy, focus, and determination to one outcome: success. Having a way out can be a distraction, a burden, an excuse.

If you truly want to change, start seeing your current situation as something you can’t return to. Burn the boats. Cut off the escape route. Give yourself no choice but to move forward.

Because sometimes, the only way out is through.