Not many people can say that they've cheated death. It can happen so suddenly, and come out of nowhere, so when we escape it, it truly feels like a miracle. Here are a few stories of these miracles, told by the kind people over at Reddit.
u/indeed_indeed_indeed asked: Have you cheated death? What's your story? [Serious]
That's a good friend.
I was chatting away with a bunch of friends in high school, standing in a pedestrian-only street. Suddenly my friend's face goes blank, and she reaches out and pulls me in by my collar, without a word. A huge truck whoooshes behind me, right by, not an inch to spare. It thundered by at full speed, I didn't even hear it until it passed me.
She didn't have time to say anything or panic, just casually pulled me away from certain death. Very grateful for her quick reflexes.
They got better.
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I was dead for around 6 min at the bottom of a pool and they revived me.
You are one of the few people that can actually say: "I died. But I got better."
PARKOUR!
When I was 18 years old parkour was all the rage. I climbed commercial buildings weekly with a friend. One night during a full moon we decided to climb a 12 story building under construction.
I got to the top. Jumped from an I-beam to another... except it was rounded. I slipped and fell. Instead of falling 50 meters I landed on my nuts on a post at a 45 degree angle. I slid what felt like forever backwards, further grinding my poor boys.
I may have not died but future generations may have.
Wow.
Yes! I had a massive brain hemorrhage. They said it was the biggest they had seen in my local hospital. It was 50:50 whether I would survive the night. I did survive, and that's the story of how I cheated death that one time...
My dad had multiple subdural hematomas. First day they counted 3. The second there was so many they couldn't give a count. After almost 10 years he is alive, and is still getting his meds adjusted.
Imagine almost losing your SKIN.
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There was a time where I got strep and the doctor said it had possibly progressed to a full on flesh eating disease. And if it did I was f*cked (obviously expressed in different words). Good news! I am still alive.
I got a rash on my arm that turned into what looked like acne on my arm. It tested positive for strep and i got a bunch of shots in my a** and wasn't allowed to go to school until it was gone. A few years later I learned that I was very close to losing all the skin on my body if we hadn't caught it and filled me up with antibiotics.
CW: Suicide
I'm a recovering addict, spent a little over 10 years in active opiate addiction. Towards the end of my last run I was actually trying to kill myself.. Not because I wanted to die, but because I had given up. I just wanted the mental anguish to stop. Long story short, I overdosed 13 separate occasions. I definitely consider that cheating death.. People die from an overdose literally every day in my city.
I've been sober for almost 3 years now.
That's terrifying.
I had a nephrectomy in 2013 and I woke up right before they started to remove my kidney and ripped all of my ivs out. Bled out a ton and had to have blood choppered in from Miami (I was at naval airstation Jacksonville).
Thanks, Benadryl!
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Had a Brazil nut as a kid (dear parents: who gives a very young child a Brazil nut for a snack?) and immediately went into anaphylactic shock. Despite the night being fuzzy, I remember so vividly the feeling of my throat swelling and managing to say "something isn't right" before losing the ability to speak. My parents shove Benadryl down my throat and drive me to the hospital.
By my parent's account, the doctor was very, very complimentary of them for having the foresight to give me Benadryl before coming, saying I would have been dead on arrival had they not done it. I joke that we became a "Benadryl family" after that. It was in every drawer, every cabinet.
Chew carefully.
On Christmas 2017 I ate a piece of some dry meat. I was chewing and chewing it, but it was still a hunk of meat. I finally swallow and feel it just stick in my throat. I try to swallow it. Doesn't budge. I try to cough and nothing. I realize that I'm not breathing and I start panicking.
I slap my hand down on the counter to get my sisters attention and she looks at me a little funny and says "what?" I motion to my throat in the most morbid game of charades that I'm choking. She says "Oh my god, are you choking?" And runs to me and starts the Heimlich.
All I can think about is my 1 year old daughter having to grow up knowing her mom died on Christmas. I was getting light headed and finally the piece of meat is hurled out of my mouth and I'm gasping crying. I hug my sister and we're both just sobbing. It was the scariest, ugliest feeling knowing I couldn't breathe no matter how much I wanted to, needed to. Chew carefully, my friends.
Woah.
I have a rare condition that makes me prone to aneurysms. In 2018 I was helping a buddy work on a car when it felt like I was shot in the abdomen. I had my buddy take me to the ER. When I was finally seen my bp was so low they had no idea how I was still conscious. I was rushed to imaging where it was determined an aneurysm had started dissecting and I was losing blood fast.
I had a 5% chance of coming out of the surgery alive, and then 10% to even walk out of the hospital within a week.
Needless to say. I'm here
Bad pupper.
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When I was 7 years old my friend had one of those red wagons with a handle you can pull. We had the bright idea of attaching my dog to the wagon and having him pull us around (he was a very large dog).
Soon after tying my dog's leash to the wagon, my dog takes off at full speed towards an extremely busy road with me inside the wagon. My friend chased us and grabbed the back of the wagon, stopping my dog and me from hurling ourselves into traffic.
Very lucky.
Had two horses run over me whilst I was pinned into a ditch one clipped back of my head other must have just stepped on my side, got up and walked away. No pain whatsoever was super lucky.
Appendicitis is no joke.
After being misdiagnosed with a stomach bug, I had a ruptured appendix for nearly a week. My eyes turned yellow. They finally removed it and pumped me full of an ungodly amount of antibiotics. I lived.
Very accident prone.
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Too many times to count, pretty sure my guardian angel is facepalming itself saying "Not again" after every incident.
The most note worthy:
Dropped 6 meters from an oak I was climbing, hitting every branch possible on the way down. Survived with a mild concussion and a few bend ribs.
Have been hit by more cars that I care to count. The worst was probably when I t-boned a car with my bike, he ran a red light, and got flipped over its roof and landing on a street sign on the other side.
Oh and for non freak accidents. Survived two bouts of cancer between the ages 19-25.
That's why those things are banned in the US.
In my early teens I was eating a kinder surprise chocolate. I guess my mouth was already dry but the choc stuck and closed off my throat, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't reach the water bottle in the cup holder. The other 4 people did not notice me. I got the attention of my sister but she did not clue in to my pointing to the water bottle or my gasping for air. I was getting close to blacking out before I was able to finally gasp out "water". At the last second someone gave me the water bottle.
At 17 I sped 175km/h in the oncoming down a bumpy country road to pass another car who was already doing 110. The other car sped up, the van I was driving was maxed. A car came in the oncoming lane, I'm lucky the other car slowed down so I could get over at the last second. Never again.
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.