In 1992, Annette Herfkens had it all. She was a successful Wall Street trader with a thriving career, a loving relationship, and a future full of promise. However, fate had other plans when she boarded a flight with the man she loved. What was supposed to be a relaxing escape turned into a devastating tragedy that would change her life forever.
The Fateful Flight
In November of 1992, Annette and her partner, William, decided to take a break from their high-powered careers and reconnect. After months of working in different countries, they finally had time for themselves. They set off for a vacation in Vietnam, starting in Ho Chi Minh City before heading to the tranquil beach town of Nha Trang.
However, things took a drastic turn when they boarded Vietnam Airlines Flight 474. Annette, a lifelong claustrophobe, felt a wave of dread as she stepped onto the Soviet-built Yakovlev Yak-40. Despite William’s attempt to calm her nerves by assuring her the flight would be brief, the journey soon took a terrifying turn. Forty minutes into the flight, panic set in. The plane dropped suddenly, and then, everything went black. The plane crashed.
Surviving the Crash
When Annette regained consciousness, she found herself in the jungle, surrounded by the wreckage. Her fiancé, William, was lifeless beside her. Despite being badly injured, with a shattered hip, broken leg, collapsed lung, and a protruding bone from her jaw, Annette was still alive.
She recalls the moments after the crash as a blur of pain and determination. With no one else around, Annette relied on her instincts to survive. She managed to crawl away from the wreckage and sought shelter in the dense jungle, even using yoga breathing techniques to manage her collapsed lung.
Surrounded by the Dead
In the early hours after the crash, Annette wasn’t alone. She heard groans and cries from other survivors, but slowly, one by one, the voices faded. Soon, she was surrounded by the dead, her only company being the haunting sounds of the jungle. Yet, she refused to give up. She collected rainwater using materials from the plane and managed to survive by taking small sips of water every couple of hours.
Annette’s will to survive was stronger than the overwhelming odds. Even as her body became weaker, she never lost hope.
The World Thought She Was Gone
Back home, Annette’s family and friends grieved, thinking she had perished in the crash. Her obituary ran in the newspapers, and condolences poured in. But Annette’s friend, Jaime Lupa, refused to give up on her. Jaime, who had promised Annette’s father that he would bring her back alive, embarked on a search mission that lasted seven days.
Just as Annette’s strength began to fade, a miracle occurred. On the eighth day, a Vietnamese policeman and his team arrived, expecting only to find bodies. To their surprise, they found Annette alive.
A New Beginning After Tragedy
Annette’s recovery was nothing short of miraculous. After being rescued, she was flown back home, and by the end of December, she attended her fiancé’s funeral while in a wheelchair. By January, she was walking again, and by February 1993, she returned to her job as a Wall Street trader.
Despite her physical recovery, the emotional scars remained. Grief, anger, and trauma lingered, but Annette found strength in her resilience. Years later, she married Jaime Lupa, the friend who had never given up on her, and together they had two children, Joosje and Max. Though her marriage ended in divorce, Annette moved forward with a new sense of purpose.
A Survival Mindset: Embracing What’s Left
One of the most significant lessons Annette learned from her ordeal was the importance of accepting loss and focusing on what remained. She found solace in the jungle, the place where she had nearly lost everything but ultimately gained strength.
“If you accept what’s not there, then you see what is there,” Annette said. This mantra became the core of her book Turbulence: A True Story of Survival.
Annette Herfkens with Willem van der Pas in Peru, 1983. / annetteherfkens.com
Finding Purpose Beyond Survival
Annette’s experience didn’t just teach her to survive; it shaped her into a source of inspiration for others. She became an inspirational speaker, sharing her story of resilience and survival with audiences around the world. Annette believes that it wasn’t just luck that kept her alive but instinct.
She attributes her survival skills to her upbringing as the youngest child in her family, where she learned to trust her instincts. She believes that undiagnosed ADHD helped her develop the qualities that allowed her to survive the jungle.
Annette’s survival mindset also played a crucial role when her son Max was diagnosed with autism. Drawing on the same strength she had used in the jungle, Annette focused on what was present rather than what was missing. She connected with other parents of autistic children and provided Max with the tools and support he needed to thrive.
Marking the Anniversary
Every year, Annette marks the anniversary of the crash by reflecting on her survival. She buys herself a gift, sips water, and remembers the days she spent fighting for her life in the jungle. Despite the trauma, she continues to find ways to heal and move forward.
Though certain triggers, such as sitting behind passengers on planes or the scent of Vietnamese food, can still evoke painful memories, Annette has never stopped surviving. She credits her survival to a simple yet powerful lesson: getting over herself and trusting her instincts.
Conclusion: The Mindset of Survival
For Annette Herfkens, survival isn’t a singular moment of triumph; it’s a lifelong mindset. She learned to see beyond the immediate loss and focus on what remained. It’s a mindset that has shaped her life and allowed her to overcome challenges, from the jungle to motherhood, and beyond.
Her story is a testament to the power of resilience, the importance of mindset, and the human spirit’s ability to adapt and thrive, even after the darkest of days.
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