15 Stories of Survival Thanks to Someone Else’s Sacrifice
Nothing brings our mortality into sharper focus like a near-death experience. It’s a jarring moment that can leave a lasting impression on someone’s life. The impact is even more profound if someone else, either through selflessness or chance, sacrifices their own life to save yours.
A Reddit post recently went viral when a user asked, “Redditors who had their lives saved by someone who gave up theirs, what’s your story?” Below, you’ll find the powerful accounts of everyday people who narrowly escaped death thanks to the actions of others.
#1
Image source: PrisAustin, Spenser Sembrat / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
This story isn’t about me, but a family friend. There were two young adults, barely 18 and 19, and three kids, ages 2, 6, and 7, in the backseat. They were on their way back from the store to a family gathering when a drunk driver crashed into them. Somehow, the man in the passenger seat jumped back to shield the kids from the impact. He tragically passed away, but the three kids were unharmed. The driver of their car also died, and the drunk driver fled the scene. When the police arrived, they found the children safely in the arms of the deceased man.
#2
Image source: AngelGuideIndi, Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
This might not be exactly what you’re looking for, but almost seven years ago, I was deeply involved in some dangerous stuff, and my best friend was right there with me. I don’t know why he did it; he was already battling multiple long-term illnesses, so we both knew it wasn’t good for him (hell, it’s not good for anyone—don’t do drugs, kids). But I was young and foolish, and we did everything together.
One night, my world kind of fell apart, and we ended up using more than we ever had before. I was about to take another hit when he tried to talk me out of it. I made up some excuse about not wanting to waste it, even though I could’ve saved it for later. So, he offered to take it instead, so it wouldn’t go to waste. If I had taken it, I probably would’ve overdosed and died. Instead, he did.
I found out when I woke up. I’ve been sober ever since. He tried so hard to save me for years, and I hope he knows that he really did.
#3
Image source: MustangLover22, Alexander Grey / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
This might not perfectly fit, but I’ll share it anyway. I was born at 24 weeks and 3 days through an emergency c-section, weighing just 1 pound, half an ounce, and measuring 11 inches long. I spent about three months in the NICU. Around the same time, my grandfather was in the hospital across the street, dying from colon cancer. I was born in March, and in April, my dad got the call that his father was passing. He went to see him.
After my grandfather died, my dad wanted to come check on me. When they got to my NICU, they found that my ventilator, the machine helping me breathe, was gone. They were understandably freaked out and asked a nurse what happened. Apparently, I had pulled the tube out of my throat. After the third time I did this, the doctors just left it out to see what would happen—and I started breathing on my own.
My dad asked the nurse, “When did this happen?” and the time she mentioned was exactly the moment my grandfather passed away. My family always says that when my grandfather was taking his last breath, I was taking my first, all on my own.
#4
Image source: linjaes, cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
My dad gave up so much of himself in a different way—he works tirelessly, pushing himself to the limit to provide for our family. He sacrificed all his hobbies and personal time just to make sure we had everything we needed—education, shelter, and food. He never complains, and he never asks for much in return.
#5
Image source: LaMadreDelCantante, Riley Edwards / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
My cousin was driving his daughter to a new state for her new teaching job when their car was struck by a semi. The car caught on fire, and his daughter was trapped inside. Somehow, he managed to break through a blocked door and pull her out. Later, at the hospital, it was discovered that he had severed his spine and a main artery. He didn’t survive. His daughter, however, is physically fine. I’m not sure if dragging her out made a difference in whether he would’ve lived or not, but I know he would’ve done it regardless. He definitely saved her life, and in my eyes, that counts.
#6
Image source: BadgerUltimatum, Emad El Byed / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
This might not be exactly on topic, but I’m named after my father’s friend, who died in a bombing during the Troubles. He had seen the bomb and ran back to save the elderly lady who owned the place. She ended up with a scar along her cheek, but he was thrown into the wall and killed by the blast.
I often think about him, and it reminds me to live better, to do justice to his memory.
#7
Image source: NicaNocturnal, Videas / Pexels (not the actual photo)
This isn’t about me, but my grandmother. During WWII, she and her family were in a concentration camp. The day before she and the others in her bunk were scheduled to be gassed, a soldier from the Latvian version of the SS secretly allowed the group to escape in the night.
Years later, when my dad was doing genealogy research, he tried to find out more about that soldier. He discovered that the soldier had been shot for helping them.
#8
Image source: Goose_whitehead, Marc Serota / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
I have an old coach whose wife grew up in Vietnam. She once shared a story from when she was about 10 years old, playing soccer with some friends from her village. During the game, the ball was kicked out of bounds and landed in some brush at the edge of the field. As she and one of her friends raced to get it, her friend reached the ball first. But as she stopped in front of it, she stepped on an old land mine. The explosion took her completely out of sight, vanishing in an instant from right in front of my coach’s wife.
#9
Image source: HorizontalTwo08, Specna Arms / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Not me but some old Vietnam veteran at my local VFW was saying his life was saved by an 18 year old that got drafted. He said he wouldn’t be here today if the kid didn’t insist on heading into a tunnel first.
I think that’s right. May have gotten me veterans mixed up.
#10
Image source: Nyfregja, Solen Feyissa / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
I’m not sure if this counts, but I’m only alive because a coworker of my mom lost her baby to sudden infant death syndrome. After that, my mom insisted on having me tested for everything, even though the doctors said it wasn’t necessary since I was full term and there seemed to be little risk. Well, after the tests, they discovered I was stopping breathing in my sleep pretty frequently. So, I had to sleep with a special monitor for a while, which would sound an alarm whenever I stopped breathing. The alarm would wake me up, I’d start crying, and that was enough to get me breathing again. All of this happened because of that one baby who died shortly before I was born.
#11
Image source: bipbopmobip, Pramod Tiwari / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
This isn’t my story, but my great-grandfather’s. He lived in Ireland during a time of conflict (I’m not sure exactly which war), where soldiers would patrol after curfew and shoot anyone they caught outside, no questions asked.
One night, my great-grandfather, Micheal, was out after curfew with his brother, Christian. They were spotted and began to run, but Micheal slipped. Christian grabbed him and helped him climb up, but Christian was shot in the leg. He deliberately stopped, trying to buy time or ask a question, and Micheal watched as they shot him. It was traumatizing for them both, especially because they were young. Micheal managed to escape and later went on to fight in WWII.
He passed away 7 or 8 years ago, but would have turned 101 this year.
Fun fact: he was born the same year World War I ended.
#12
Image source: VihiOnReddit, Rumman Amin / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
This doesn’t really fit the theme, but here it goes. When I was around 3 or 4, my neighbor, who was about 4 years older than me, and I were playing with plastic ‘guns’ that shot big plastic balls. We ended up getting one of the balls stuck on top of the closet, so we both climbed up the shelves to try and get it down. The closet ended up tipping over, and my neighbor put her knee up to prevent it from crushing my head. She hurt her knee pretty badly, but thanks to her, I only got hit near my left eye and had to get stitches.
#13
Image source: terminallyamused, Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
I have two stories that aren’t about me, but they’ve stuck with me pretty deeply.
- My uncle died trying to protect a couple who were being robbed in a restaurant. Some gang members came in, started harassing people, and pulled guns. My uncle recognized one of the guys from high school and thought he could talk him down to stop anyone from getting hurt. Unfortunately, it was just him who ended up getting hurt. I never got to know him, but I’ve heard he was an exceptionally cool dude.
- My kindergarten teacher was diagnosed with cancer at a point where it was aggressively treatable, but she was also pregnant. She needed an abortion before starting treatment, but she didn’t want to do that. By the time the baby arrived, the cancer had become terminal. She left behind her husband and three children.
What really hit me hard with my teacher’s story was that my family noticed she was becoming more easily agitated and stressed towards the end of the school year. We found out after her death, from her teacher’s aide, that she was diagnosed with cancer during that time and had decided to prioritize the baby over her own life. My mom had several arguments with her for being too “insensitive” and mean to her students during the last part of the school year. The teacher never told anyone about her condition.
#14
Image source: Moosh101, Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
That’s a heavy thought, but I can see how you might feel that way. Life’s twists and turns can be pretty wild when you think about how different things could’ve turned out. It’s a bittersweet feeling, isn’t it? You wouldn’t be here without that loss, but I bet that little one is still a part of your family in a way.
#15
Image source: 19dingus19, Enrique Ortega Miranda / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Not me, but a friend of a friend I had many years back. I’ll call the kid Zeke. Zeke and a buddy were by our old intermediate school and hanging out by a drainage pond in the surrounding wetlands, no idea what its for or what it’s used for but basically it’s a super strong whirl pool that will take you under without a second thought. Zeke, from what I recall (forgive me, this was 12-13 years ago) was dared to jump in the whirl pool, he did, and he basically got taken under immediately. Zeke bobbing above and under the water started screaming for help. Two men (teachers who were father and son) who frequently walked their dogs around the school premises noticed this and rushed to save this kids life. They both jumped in and got Zeke back to land, unfortunately both of them that day were taken by this aggresive water and died.
I’m not so sure how zeke took it, I was never real close to him in school and the relationship we did have was pretty much pass and repass. From what I observed though, it would suggest he took it pretty hard and never totally got over it. Of course anyone would understand why.