Miracle of Nando Parrado

A few days ago I had the good fortune to hear Nando Parrado speak under the stars in the Sand Harbor amphitheater. As soon as I heard his first words, I knew it would be an unforgettable night...."Before we begin, take a moment and look up at the stars overhead, take in the beauty of the water and the family and friends who may have accompanied you...." He then spun a tale that was almost unbelievable had he not lived to tell.

Nando was one of fifteen rugby players who survived the 1972 airplane crash in the Andes Mountains. He survived for 72 days--an avalanche, severe dehydration, hunger and cold, the death of his mother, sister and teammates--his life is an incredible story of endurance and human survival against all odds. Amazingly, before the crash, he and his team mates had never before seen snow! After a desperate ten day trek, Nando and fellow team mate Roberto Canessa found a farmer who then alerted authorities and the group was saved.

What impressed me the most was two-fold. First was the intimate way he spoke of breath--how it became sacred: when holding his dying sister through the night, as a way to monitor and be with the injured and dying, breath as the only heat source to stay alive through the night by lying face-to-face with a team mate and breathing into each other's cold body parts. Breath became the indicator that he was alive:

Breathe. Breathe again. With every breath, you are alive. After all these years, this is still the best advice I can give you: Savor your existence. Live every moment. Do not waste a breath.

He spoke deeply about the love of family and friends and how this love sustained him. He continually thought of his father and how after the loss of his mother and sister, Nando wished to see him again and be a source of comfort. He spoke of his teammates, how they worked not only for individual survival but for the whole, the pact they made that in the event of death their bodies be consumed as nourishment for the survival of their teammates, and the precious gift of life given in this way. North Stars abounded, keeping him focused during his ordeal: love, personal sacrifice for care of the whole, team work, breath....

Second, what impacted me was the last half hour of the show, when people in the audience introduced themselves. They were from all over the U.S.A. and the world, having come to hear Nando speak because their lives were changed when reading the book/seeing the movie, Alive. One adult, to whom the night was dedicated had survived being hit by a drunk driver in elementary school and was paralyzed from the waist down. After struggling to adapt to the wheelchair on ice and snow conditions, this young person no longer wanted to survive and voiced as much to a teacher, who then gave her student the book, Alive. It proved to be a pivotal moment in the choice for life. There was a person who had survived as a driver in a fatal car crash, where the spouse and child had died. The entire night and the stories of transformation were a blessing to witness. If you wish to be inspired, connect with powerful North Stars and be deeply moved, check out Nando Parrado and the resources below:

Tedtalk
Website
Nando's book Miracle in the Andes

Nando Parrado is a Freedom Series Star for the Inner Constellation Blog--a true embodiment of the truth that we are expressions of the Eternal, and the IC Truth that everything, no matter how challenging can be transformed. Bless each of you today and the holy breath that animates life.