But then, at the last possible moment, the door opened and we were able to float to the surface of the lake вЂ“ second miracle of the day! IвЂ™ll tell you this: waiting for the equilibrium was a real test of patience! My life didnвЂ™t flash before me as we sank beneath the surface and the plane filled with water instead I thought how I'd had a wonderful life, how I felt terrible for aftermath I was leaving my parents, and for the situation IвЂ™d put our young son in. So again, my husband вЂ“ already the hero of the day вЂ“ week вЂ“ year вЂ“ decade, decided to fight instinct and open the window to let the water in so the water pressure both in and outside the plane could reach equilibrium. And because of the water pressure, we couldnвЂ™t get the doors open. To cut a long story short, we crash landed into a lake and were miraculously unscathedвЂ¦then started sinking. Spoiler alert: IвЂ™m here writing this tale, so we did survive.ДЄs soon as the engine went out, I flipped the switch on the radio so my husband wouldnвЂ™t be distracted by my son crying вЂњI donвЂ™t want to die,вЂќ and tried to reassure him that we will be alright. Stay focused, maintain the right glide angle to avoid a stall, and you can survive. But what they meant was: donвЂ™t lose concentration. Luckily, my husband had recently taken a flight training course where theyвЂ™d emphasized: if your engine quits, just fly the plane. That all abruptly came to an end when, flying over Seattle from a weekend trip, we lost engine power at 1800 feet. We had some great trips as a family, flying over Lake Tahoe, landing at the rim of the Grand Canyon, and fly-camping in the Idaho back-country.

My husband is a small plane pilot вЂ“ at the time flying a 4-seat Cessna 185 - and for a number of years we had been flying around with our young son. The cause of my near-death experience was a plane. This anniversary caused me to step back and review the last decade to seek the truth in that lyric: How have I become stronger? What lessons did that experience teach me?

вЂњWhat doesnвЂ™t kill you makes you strongerвЂќ by Kelly Clarkson is blaring out of the radio and I am reminded that 10 years ago this week I was almost killed.

What doesnt kill you makes you stronger