A woman from China narrowly escaped death last year, and she believes it’s all thanks to… her body fat.
Last July, 21-year-old Sichuan native, who’s known by the pseudonym Cheese, was on vacation at a seaside resort located at Japan’s Izu peninsula.
While playing in the water, Cheese was swept away by a large wave, leaving her stranded at sea.
Cheese recounted the incident in an interview with Chinese media, saying she was left floating at sea “for 36 hours”, and all that she could do was “stare at the sky and witness the changes from day to night”.
She recalled the clouds turning colours, the temperature of the sea water dropping, and the waves changing in levels. “That’s how you know that time is slowly passing,” she said.
She distinctly remembers looking at the rescue boats passing by her, and the smell of gasoline slowly leaving the area when they did.
“It was pitch black at night, and even while using the brightest light, it was hard for the rescuers to [spot me],” she said.
Cheese tried to swim towards the rescue boats but was swept away by the waves during every attempt.
“I could, without doubt, feel my energy and strength leaving me, but there was nothing else I could do,” she added.
At some point, Cheese could no longer catch a view of the shore. All she could see were the sea, and vultures, whom she said she was “thankful” to see as they were the only indication of life around her.
Thankfully for Cheese (and unluckily for the vultures), she was finally rescued after drifting 80km away from the shoreline.
She attributes her survival to one reason.
During her interview, Cheese said she was “grateful to have enough body fat”, believing it played a big part in helping her withstand the harsh elements.
“After being rescued, I didn’t fall ill with fever, and my vitals were all normal. It’s really all thanks to my body fat. When I got home, I realised my weight barely changed.”
Cheese also added that the quality of her life buoy was “quite good”.
Although it looks like Cheese has taken the ordeal in her stride, it did take her a while to recover from the near-death experience.
She said she “momentarily lost her motivation to live” after returning home, but thanks to the support she received from family and friends, found renewed strength to continue living.
She likened the difficult time to “locking herself up to prepare for an important exam”, and she’s now ready to take on life’s other challenges and sees the future as “a fresh start”.
Photos: Sinchew News, Oriental Daily