Model and author Petra Nemcova's unbelievable story of surviving the tsunami by clinging onto palm leaves with a pelvis broken in several places, 30 feet in the air for 8 hours, is one of the most surreal stories I've ever heard. After her hopes of survival vanished as the tsunami swept her off a rooftop and quickly sucked her out to sea, she was given a second chance to grab hold of some palm leaves sticking out just above the water's torrential surface. The current was so violent that her clothes were completely torn from her body. Petra suffered multiple pelvic fractures due to large heavy debris slamming into her, and was trapped in the tree for half the day, baking in the hot sun, dehydrated, and praying "Please, dear God, don't let another wave come" (n.b., pelvic fracture is one of the most excruciatingly painful events anyone could experience, particularly when clinging to a palm tree for 8 hours. Childbirth should be a "piece of cake" for Petra.). Petra asked one of the rescuers for his T-shirt, which he quickly took off and gave to her. Then, says Petra, "I took the shirt, let it fall into the dirty water, and then drew the dripping cloth up to my face. It felt so good, so refreshing, that filthy water. The men bowed and went off." She described hearing children scream "help, help," as she clung to the top of a palm tree, followed by erie silence of no screams at all.

After she was rescued and hospitalized she learned her fiancee Simon Atlee did not survive the disaster, instantly extinguishing any hope she had in finding him. Petra was awarded the "Survivor Award" by Glamour Magazine. Her book "Love, Always, Petra: A Story of Courage and the Discovery of Life's Hidden's Gifts" (co-authored with Jane Scovell) is a testament of spirit incapable of "soul-loss," even under the most adverse conditions imaginable. And now she's on a mission to make the world a better place. All proceeds from the book are being donated to Happy Hearts Fund , a charity which Petra founded, to assist in the tsunami relief effort. Petra recently opened a school and computer center in Thailand, with money raised by her charity. It's fitting such charity by Petra touched Thailand, where another "survivor" named Mother Theresa ran her orphanage (see poem at bottom of page). (bravisimo, PN, I'm totally impressed. Pure perseverence. Your image is the visual definition of the word itself: "Survivor." In my book, you are the poster-woman for "Mind, Body and Soul." Glamour Magazine should be commended as well, for realizing and acknowledging your success and charitable efforts. Wow !). The movie "Empire of the Sun" had a similar affect on me.