Occasionally, some owe their survival not to struggle, but to nature. Take the startling case of Mitsutaka Uchikoshi. One ice-cold October day in 2006, Uchikoshi had been with a group on a mountain in western Japan. After wandering off into a fi eld on his own, Uchikoshi tripped, hit his head, and was knocked unconscious. As Uchikoshi remembers, “I was in a fi eld, and I felt very comfortable. That’s my last memory.” He remained unconscious in
a lmost-freezing temperatures without food or water for more than three weeks.
When he was found in the freezing fi eld 24 days after his fall, he did not seem to be
breathing and had no detectable pulse. His body temperature was nearly 30 degrees
below normal, and his organs had nearly shut down. Doctors assumed he was dead.
Yet something incredible happened while he was at Kobe City General Hospital: He
woke up! Even more incredibly, Uchikoshi, who was treated for severe hypothermia
and blood loss, made a full recovery. Doctors believe that Uchikoshi’s body went into a state similar to hibernation. Inhibernation, the body temperature of an animal is lowered and its breathing and heart rate slow down. Hibernation reduces the need for food and protects animals from damage to the brain and other organs.
Stories like these remind us that even when we are in a situation that seems impossible, we should never give up hope. After all, there is always a chance that you will succeed—against the odds!