Two years after I saved a woman’s life at 35,000 feet, I was at my lowest, struggling to make ends meet and still reeling from my mother’s death. On Christmas Eve, a knock on my door brought an unexpected gift and a chance at a new beginning from a stranger I never thought I would meet again. I had seen every type of passenger imaginable during my years as a flight attendant — the anxious first-timers, the experienced business travelers, and the excited holidaymakers.
But there was one passenger I would never forget. Not because of her designer outfits or business-class ticket, but because of what happened at 35,000 feet that day. Two years later, she would change my life in ways I could never have imagined.
Let me set the scene first. My basement apartment was exactly what you would expect for $600 a month in the city. Water stains decorated the ceiling like abstract patterns, and the radiator clattered through the night like someone hitting it with a wrench.
But it was all I could afford now, at 26, after everything that had happened. The kitchen counter served as my desk, workspace, and dining table. A small twin bed filled one corner, its metal frame showing where the sheets had slipped off.
The walls were thin enough that I could hear every footstep from the apartment above, each a reminder of how far I had fallen from my old life. I stared at the stack of unpaid bills on my fold-out table, each one a reminder of how quickly life could spiral. The collection agencies had started calling again.
Three times that day alone. I picked up my phone, thumb hovering over Mom’s number out of habit, before remembering. Six months.
It had been six months since I had anyone to call. My neighbor’s TV droned through the wall, some cheerful holiday movie about family reunions and Christmas miracles. I turned up my radio to drown it out, but the Christmas carols felt like salt in an open wound.
“Just keep breathing, Liora,” I whispered to myself, Mom’s favorite advice when things got tough. “One day at a time.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me. BREATHING.
That was what started this whole story on that fateful flight. “Miss, please! Someone help her!” A loud cry pierced the aisle.
The memory of that flight two years ago was still crystal clear. I was doing my regular checks in business class when I heard the panic in a man’s voice. Three rows ahead, an elderly woman was clutching her throat, her face turning an alarming shade of red.
“She’s choking!” another passenger shouted, half-rising from his seat. My training kicked in instantly. I rushed to her side, positioning myself behind her seat.
The other flight attendant, Maris, was already radioing for any medical professionals on board. “Ma’am, I’m here to help. Can you breathe at all?” I asked the lady.
She shook her head frantically, her eyes wide with fear. Her perfectly manicured nails dug into the armrest, knuckles white with strain. “I’m going to help you breathe again.
Try to stay calm.”
I wrapped my arms around her torso, found the spot just above her navel, and thrust upward with everything I had. Nothing. Again.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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