In 1992, Annette Herfkens was a successful Wall Street trader, living a dream life with her longtime partner, Willem “Pasje” van der Pas. After months apart, they planned a romantic getaway in Vietnam. But their flight to Nha Trang — Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 — crashed in the jungle, killing 30 of 31 people on board.
Annette, the sole survivor, woke amid wreckage and death. Badly injured — a broken leg, shattered hip, collapsed lung — she endured eight days alone, using yoga breathing to manage pain, collecting rainwater, and staying alive through sheer willpower.
Everyone believed she was dead. But on the eighth day, rescuers arrived with only body bags — and found her alive.
Returning home, she faced grief, trauma, and survivor’s guilt. She later married close friend Jaime Lupa, had two children, and rebuilt her life while honoring the jungle that almost killed her.
Her story became the memoir Turbulence. She now speaks about resilience, survival, and accepting loss.
“The jungle became my sanctuary,” she says. “You mourn what’s not there, but focus on what is.”