Close Calls
Piya speaks with people who've had close calls with death that changed everything for them in life
This episode was originally published on January 11, 2019.
Death... is not something most people really want to think about. And that's actually a luxury. Because when you come face to face with the end, you have no choice but to stare mortality square in the eyes. From terminal illness to a near-fatal drug overdose, this week Piya speaks with people who've had close calls with death that changed everything for them in life.
Here are the stories from this week's episode:
What multiple near-death experiences taught this woman about how to live
Mary Elizabeth Williams was diagnosed with melanoma, and expected to die. A few years later, her daughter nearly died of sepsis. She speaks with Piya about how those health scares gave her a deep appreciation for the small things in life, and fostered empathy for others who are suffering. It also led her to reframe death from a matter of loss, to a natural part of life.
A drug overdose nearly killed him — he says it was the best thing that ever happened in his life
Kevin Parker was prescribed painkillers after surviving a head-on car crash with a bus. Soon, he developed a strong addiction to them, which led to a drug overdose that nearly killed him. Despite the physical and mental blow he suffered, Kevin tells Piya why it was the best thing to have ever happened to him.
Three people who evaded tragedy look back on being the ones who survived
OITO producer Lisa Bryn Rundle went on a high school course trip to Costa Rica as a teen. Upon arrival, students were split into two groups. When the kids that weren't in Lisa's group went swimming near some waterfalls, a massive flash flood killed three of them. Now, as an adult, Lisa reflects on being assigned to the other group, and tries to make sense of coming so close to tragedy by reconnecting with two other students who were on that trip.
In spring of 2017, Richard Wesley was out on the land in northern Ontario, bow-and-arrow in hand, doing something he often does and loves: hunting black bears. Before he knew it, a bear that he was eyeing charged and jumped on top of him. Richard tells Piya how he initially brushed off the experience as no big deal, and what happened when he came to terms with just how close he'd really come to the end.