In 1992, Annette Herfkens was a successful Wall Street trader, living a dream life with her longtime partner, Willem \u201cPasje\u201d van der Pas. After months apart, they planned a romantic getaway in Vietnam. But their flight to Nha Trang \u2014 Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 \u2014 crashed in the jungle, killing 30 of 31 people on board.<\/p>\n
Annette, the sole survivor, woke amid wreckage and death. Badly injured \u2014 a broken leg, shattered hip, collapsed lung \u2014 she endured eight days alone, using yoga breathing to manage pain, collecting rainwater, and staying alive through sheer willpower.<\/p>\n
Everyone believed she was dead. But on the eighth day, rescuers arrived with only body bags \u2014 and found her alive.<\/p>\n
Returning home, she faced grief, trauma, and survivor\u2019s guilt. She later married close friend Jaime Lupa, had two children, and rebuilt her life while honoring the jungle that almost killed her.<\/p>\n
Her story became the memoir Turbulence<\/em>. She now speaks about resilience, survival, and accepting loss.<\/p>\n \u201cThe jungle became my sanctuary,\u201d she says. \u201cYou mourn what\u2019s not there, but focus on what is.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 1992, Annette Herfkens was a successful Wall Street trader, living a dream life with her longtime partner, Willem \u201cPasje\u201d van der Pas. After months apart, they planned a romantic getaway in Vietnam. But their flight to Nha Trang \u2014 Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 \u2014 crashed in the jungle, killing 30 of 31 people on…<\/p>\n