On Friday, may 24, rescuers-volunteers found in Hawaiian forests 35-year-old Amanda eller, who disappeared 17 days ago and incredibly managed to survive. In her search involved hundreds of volunteers, friends do not despair, hoping for a miracle. It was through their faith and the power of the spirit eller, this story has a happy ending.
May 9 Benjamin Konkol said Hawaiian authorities about the disappearance of his girlfriend. The last time he saw her on Wednesday, may 8, and eller, yoga instructor and physiotherapist, this day I planned to take a short hike on the local protected forests. When in the evening she didn’t come, he got worried.
The story told by Benjamin
«Wednesday night was the start for me,» he said last week in an interview with Konkol. «I came home, and her car still was not that it was not so unusual. That was a little weird, so that’s what I got from her a text message, but she likes to do things his own way, and I respect that. However, later, not having received from her no sign, I started to receive this strange feeling that something is wrong.»
He several times called her, but she didn’t answer. Then he decided that she just lost the phone and convinced myself that she come home with an apology, as he lay to sleep. But it has not appeared neither at night nor the next morning.
On the morning of Thursday, may 9, Konkol gained local hospital to see if she did not get in an accident and then reported it to the police. Konkol not remain in the side, and attempted to independently find his girlfriend. He traveled a few places she could visit, including the reserve Macau (island of Maui). And there in the Parking lot found her white SUV: the car was found with her cell phone and wallet. According to Konkola and friends of the girl, it was not strange, as she often left them in the car during his walks in the woods.
The investigation began because of her things in the car led police to a kidnapping (it wasn’t confirmed) and then the search operation. Reserve Macau is an 8 sq km of dense forest on steep slopes with thickets, through which can pass only waving a machete. Dozens of search and rescue teams combed the forest near the trail, Kakapo, which, as known, eller often walked before and the day of his disappearance.
Days turned into weeks, and the young woman still could not find. The formal search was terminated, authorities declared her missing. But her relatives were sure that she is still alive and is still in the woods Macau. So they are attracted to their history, the attention of the public. Social networks have created a page «Findamanda», GoFoundMe account was created to raise funds for rescue operations, for information on her whereabouts was appointed a remuneration in the amount of $50 thousand.
Thanks to the funds raised, more than $70 million, the family has been able to hire a helicopter and connect the search from the air to seek on earth. And on may 24, around 17:00 local time in the gorge between the two falls from a helicopter rescuers saw the prostrate woman.
«The place where they found Amanda and the three guys that saw her aboard a private helicopter. The helicopter that You bought. Your donation to GoFoundMe went to rent a helicopter, he noticed Amanda and it got her home!»
The story told by Amanda
As it turned out, eller went with a friend of the trail and plunged into the forest, and then lost my bearings and went in the wrong direction. «I had left the path, sat down to rest. When it came time to return, I wanted to go back the way I came, but my intuition, which I always trust, sent me the other way,» he told Amanda after his rescue. «I convinced myself that my car is there and I will keep going until you reach it.»
After a while, she questioned what is right. «But as soon as I doubted my intuition and tried to go in the opposite direction, something started to stop me. I almost fell off the branch, I strongly stumbled. So I said, «OK, there’s only one way,» says eller. «And it turns out I was deep into the jungle, although I was sure that going back from whence he came».
Eller was dressed in sports: halter top, light yoga pants, sneakers. The bottle of water she didn’t bring it. She had to eat all the edible plants that I could find on the road, at night, she hid by the fern leaves, it happened that she had to sleep just in the dirt, and even once in the lair of the boar.
During the walks through the woods she got a sunburn on the exposed parts of the body, on the third day she broke her leg after falling from a height of 20 feet, and the fourth lost shoes during flash floods. The leg she could not walk and continued on his way by crawling.
«The last 17 days of my life have been the hardest of my life. It was really important spiritual journey that I made. There was a time full of fear and uncertainty, and the desire to give up. It really came down to life and death, and I had to choose. I chose life,» she said. «I wasn’t going to take the easy way out, but for me it meant more pain and suffering.»
Happy case
Amanda says that for two weeks she often heard the sound of a helicopter, and even visually seen a rescue team, but it was not on high land, and nobody in those times had not noticed.
On Friday, the rescue team in a helicopter decided to fly off to the side of the sector was looking for Amanda, and view the area, which was not even considered by the rescuers, as they were too removed from the trail. Javier Cantellops, the coordinator searches – one of those 3 guys who found Amanda published an emotional video recorded during the ascent of the rescued American, who is originally from Maryland.
He later said that «the district, which was discovered by Amanda, is extremely dangerous. No one thought to look for it there, as this part of the forest is far away from the trail, where it began its journey».
Skinny, with bad legs, but alive, eller raised on a helicopter and taken to a local hospital where she was reunited with her beloved, friends and parents. Miracles do happen!
