50 people died last Thursday when a plane crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York, USA.

And among the compelling branches to this story is one about a 49-year-old man named David, whose connecting flight (because of a bad weather delay from New Orleans) did not arrive in time for him to be aboard that downed flight 3407.

It was as he sat camped out on a seat at the airport terminal that David learned of the disaster…learned how close he had come to having his life snatched away from him. And with great emotion and disbelief, and while still clutching his unused ticket, David Becony phoned home to his wife outside Buffalo.

She was equally shocked and amazed by the news. And although both were happy for David, they were extremely sad for everybody else who had perished.

The following day, a nervous and shaky David returned home on another plane by the same airline…a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft like the one that had gone down.

It hadn’t been David’s time to die but it left him feeling somewhat confused and wondering, “Why me? …That could have been me who died!”

It is normal for anyone who survives a situation when others die, to ask themselves, “Why was I so lucky?”

Is it fate? Or maybe there isn’t a reason? –Maybe it just is what it is.

In any case, it makes you pause…and think how your life has taken an unexpected turn. Your life was spared and you have no idea what to do…how to cope with this “luck” –How to cope with this guilt.

However, one thing is certain—you are among the living. And isn’t it worth experiencing the rest of your life with your eyes wide open? —Living with purpose…and not from the sidelines!

May the dead rest in peace. 

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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