If it wasn’t for 200 fire ant bites, Joan Murray would be dead!
Fire ants are among the top ten insects in the world with the most painful stings.
On September 25, 1999, Joan went on a skydiving trip. She had previously been 30 times, and this day was meant to be like any ordinary day.
As she jumped from a height of 14,500 feet at a speed of 80mph, her main parachute would not open!
She continued to free fall until her reserve parachute finally worked. Whilst being only 700 feet from the ground, Joan panicked and spun out of control, causing the second parachute to deflate.
A painful, crash-landing shattered the right side of Joan’s body.
To make matters worse, she landed on a fire ant nest!
An allergic reaction to fire ant venom can cause death in some cases. However, Joan’s otherwise unfortunate landing spot could have saved her life.
The doctors mentioned that the repeated stings shocked Joan’s heartbeat and stimulated her nerves. The ant attack kept her organs functioning and heart beating enough to keep her alive during her hospital ride, where she fell into a comatose state.
With metal spikes in both her legs and shattered bones, Joan remained unconscious for two weeks. She pulled through despite the pain, and has since recovered well and is back to her skydiving hobby.
She said that she takes her life more seriously: “I have learned to take time for the important things in life. I say ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you’ a lot more since the experience”.[1]
Some good luck in bad luck I guess…
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