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Watch live: Hawaii hiker Amanda Eller speaks publicly after being lost for two weeks — Transcript

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0:00hello and welcome welcome to Mary
0:03Memorial Hospital on behalf of everyone
0:06here at Mary Health System
0:07we're very proud that we contributed to
0:10Amanda's recovery and I think everybody
0:12on the island of Maui is a static on her
0:15recovery and how well she's doing so I'm
0:17proud to introduce her family is here
0:19today with their friends and Amanda of
0:21course is here today introducing her
0:25father John John thank you everybody
0:29we can't tell you how happy we are to
0:30have our family back together today this
0:33is uh this is really a blessing thank
0:37you all for coming thank you for being
0:38patient with your interview requests the
0:43local and national press was really a
0:45big factor in keeping the search for a
0:48man to alive and in front of mine with
0:50with everybody to keep the prayers
0:52coming keep the community interested
0:55keeping hope alive it was a big factor
0:58you guys were a partner and we
1:00appreciate that
1:04Amanda and the rest of the family are
1:05ready to answer questions were we're at
1:09that point I think we can how to fill in
1:11the gaps and tell the story only Amanda
1:14knows the story of her survival the rest
1:18of us have our own perspectives and
1:20experiences through the search effort
1:23and we'll be glad to talk about that as
1:25as you are interested together we hope
1:29we can complete a you know give you a
1:30complete picture of everything that
1:33happened and our overall experience as a
1:37chronology of events just to recap for
1:40everybody's just to frame the situation
1:43on West you may 8th Amanda went into the
1:48macro wah forest reserve for a run left
1:51the trail for a short distance and he
1:54got disoriented and lost in the forest
1:56amanda was reported missing the next
1:58morning after she didn't return home the
2:05Maui Police Department fire rescue
2:08searched for 72 hours together with the
2:11community volunteers after which time
2:14the search was taken up the other Maui
2:17community for the next 13 days the
2:22community search teams scoured the most
2:24likely areas to find Amanda with the
2:28assistance of helicopters infrared
2:30search and rescue k9 teams from Maui and
2:33Kauai pne's
2:34the local hunters DLNR Fire Rescue in
2:37many hundreds of community volunteers
2:40with boots on the ground we we finally
2:45found her on Friday afternoon around
2:474:30 after expanding the search area to
2:50about a four mile radius
2:53she was spotted and rescued from a deep
2:55ravine by helicopter fire for our core
2:59search team all had to be airlifted out
3:03it was you couldn't get out
3:07after several days of recuperation and
3:10wound care we celebrated Amanda's return
3:12home last night with a fantastic party
3:16that I think a lot of you guys were out
3:18on the oceanfront Empire donated by a
3:23Michael and Sarah Baskin and the pie en
3:26it was just a fantastic event in a
3:29unbelievable celebration they sacrifice
3:32their memorial days to to celebrate this
3:34with us and make that possible you know
3:37for the bottom of our hearts
3:39the whole Maui community and all the
3:43agencies involved never repaid anyway
3:50with that we'll take questions
4:20probably gonna cry throughout this whole
4:22thing so you know this story's gonna
4:30come out in time and I'm not really
4:31ready to tell it as a story and it's
4:33that doesn't even feel right I haven't
4:35even had time to think their integrator
4:37figure out really what the heck happened
4:39and they're how to answer that question
4:43I will say is I got to the point this
4:46was probably day 14 or something like
4:54that and I said okay two weeks you know
4:55and I'm looking at numerology and every
4:58day I'm thinking like okay today's the
4:59day like number fourteen what is that
5:01significant for I just had such hope in
5:03my heart every day I'd rise with the
5:06daylight I'd be freezing and have to
5:07soak my ankles so that I can get up and
5:09like move around a little bit and not be
5:11debilitated and and I just had such hope
5:14in my heart I'm like today's the day I
5:15hear the helicopters are coming to get
5:16me
5:17and as the day went on and the
5:19helicopters are passing over and I'm
5:21standing on rocks and waving them down
5:22and they're passing over and they're not
5:23seeing me I'm invisible you lose hope
5:26and you're you know you're hope meter
5:30starts to decline a little bit and then
5:33as the Sun starts to go down you're like
5:35okay another night alone how am I going
5:37to stay warm how am I going to stay
5:39alive to answer your question and it was
5:43about day 14 and there was a point in
5:47which I looked at the sky and I said you
5:51know I've been guided all along you know
5:54this whole this whole journey it was
5:55extremely spiritual for me and and I
5:59never felt alone and I never felt
6:01fearful it was an opportunity to
6:04overcome fear of everything it was an
6:08opportunity to be stripped away of all
6:09the comforts of this modern world and
6:12see what was left and and that there was
6:15such amazing beauty in that
6:17but at this point it's like I've had
6:20everything stripped away I'm so
6:22uncomfortable I can barely move what
6:25else do you want from me and and I had
6:29you know in a moment I was like you know
6:30mercy like I just say mercy I just I'm
6:34looking at the sky like just please take
6:36me up
6:36I'm ready I've learned you know I feel
6:39like this is this is my soul's journey I
6:41know this is an essential part of my
6:43story and my being here on earth but I'm
6:45ready and I call mercy and I'm and I
6:49choose free will and I say no from this
6:51point and I was a very loud clear
6:54message that I received and said if you
6:56want to sit and if you want to say no
6:57and you want to sit on that rock you're
6:59gonna die so you have a choice to make
7:01you could sit on that rock and you can
7:03die you could say mercy and you could
7:05feel pitiful for yourself and play
7:08victim or you can start walking down
7:12that waterfall and choose life so it was
7:15literally it was it was a it was a
7:16pivotal time in my life where I had to
7:19choose life and I said you know it's
7:21this isn't just for me anymore obviously
7:22you know I come first and it's I have I
7:26have a sole purpose of being here on
7:27earth but it was like my mom and my dad
7:29and like every single step of the way it
7:31was like I choose life I saw my dad I
7:33choose life I saw my sister I choose
7:35life I saw Benjamin you know and so on
7:37and so forth every single step was I
7:40choose life that was the only thing that
7:42like gets me going to the point where I
7:44at least got like half a mile down the
7:46waterfall and like laid in some grass
7:48and slept there for the night that was a
7:51dark a dark moment but it turned out to
7:53be light it was an opportunity to choose
7:57and not play victim to the scenario
8:01long-winded answer sorry and with your
8:13family one of the things that was
8:15reported quite a bit is that you slept
8:18in the den of a wonder if you could tell
8:23us more about that but did the bore show
8:25up and just so there's bores everywhere
8:29through there and you know it's there
8:32that's their home I'm in their home and
8:34so I was very respectful of that and you
8:38know again I'm guided so there were
8:40times where I would see a very
8:41nice-looking board in where I'm like
8:42that might keep me warm and I got a
8:44message like don't go in there
8:47so it's interesting you know this is the
8:51Chinese you new year this is the year of
8:52the boar I'm a boar and so I'm like
8:54finding myself sleeping and boars homes
8:56and they're like they were trailblazing
8:58for me the only reason that I without
9:01shoes and socks and any kind of like
9:02armor on and my ankles are already tore
9:05up it was like me following boar paths
9:07to their board ends just leap from the
9:09time so bizarre but yeah I mean it was
9:13it was every night I tried something
9:15different that I was guided towards you
9:17know I would again the whole thing was
9:19guided and I'd say okay where's my best
9:21opportunity for sleep so that I can get
9:23some kind of rest so that I can heal so
9:26that I can close my eyes and feel safe
9:27for the night and I would just be guided
9:29to different things so whether it was on
9:31tall grass whether it was it was on
9:33rocks a lot whether it was in the mud
9:37which I don't recommend ever doing that
9:39it's very cold and it doesn't warm up
9:43yeah I I don't really know how it's to
9:46answer that besides that it was
9:47uncomfortable but it was better than it
9:51was good to be alive
10:03hi I'm Molly hunter with NBC and you
10:07look fantastic and then I can't believe
10:09you're sitting here radiant
10:11what will people never understand about
10:15your experience what don't people
10:17understand about your experience out
10:18there this whole thing is bizarre this
10:21whole scenario is bizarre you know I
10:23mean people are like holding me up as a
10:25hero and and I don't feel that way I'm
10:29so happy that my story can inspire
10:31others I mean truly like that's how I
10:34live my life is like I want to be an
10:35inspiration to others I want to light
10:37the fire and other people I want us all
10:38to be so stoked to be here on planet
10:40Earth and like every single morning we
10:42wake up we're so happy to be here you
10:44know that's that's my goal and obviously
10:47to end suffering too so I can go on
10:54tangents forever my patients know that
10:59so what will somebody never understand I
11:05guess it's hard to explain being on this
11:07side of things you know I they're the
11:12acknowledgement that I keep coming back
11:13to is like my family the community like
11:18all of you know the newscast to that
11:20like you guys kept this story alive I
11:22mean really without this like I could
11:24have just been dropped off they could
11:25have just forgotten about me and said
11:26another missing person no big deal
11:28you know so I'm just like in extreme
11:31I'm sitting from the standpoint of being
11:33an extreme gratitude for everybody
11:35caring so much to pull together to take
11:37time out of their own life to rededicate
11:39their focus of their own life towards me
11:42whether they knew me or not and that
11:44sense of pulling together that since the
11:46community that sense of like Ohana and
11:48family that we talk so much about here
11:50and that true Aloha it's like
11:54that's I don't know if anybody will can
11:56feel what I feel when I look out through
11:59my eyes and see what's happened in this
12:02in this situation and that this whole
12:05circumstance is reproducible and that we
12:09can be doing this around the globe and
12:10this is this is tribal communities this
12:12is what we came from this is how we
12:14should be living as we should be caring
12:16so much about the person next door to
12:18you you know that you may be like going
12:20out of your way to do something for them
12:22which is going to be more giving more
12:24receiving I mean that's that's really
12:26what life is about it's just that that
12:28giving that caring that relationship so
12:32I think if that answers your question
12:35it's just I have such a deep sense of
12:38that now I just I'm healed by that we're
12:40all fueled by that we're like how do we
12:41keep this fire going how do we keep this
12:43inspiration going and in a world that
12:45can seem so dark sometimes you know it's
12:48like let's keep passing the flame let's
12:50keep lighting the spark in each other so
12:52that this doesn't just fall to the
12:53wayside you know this is a real
12:54opportunity right now for us all to kind
12:56of like wake up and and and tap into our
13:00hearts and start to operate from that
13:01space so
13:07I'm a kidioki fancy
13:11we're talking to the media today you
13:13talk about choosing life and you're here
13:15with your family
13:17here that way how does this experience
13:20change you in your life purpose the the
13:27message that I kept getting when I was
13:29there was that this is not punishment
13:33because the first five days that you
13:35know I just wanted to play victim and
13:36calm to a halt and be like why me this
13:40is not punishment this is a strong
13:42opportunity all I see is opportunity and
13:45light and you ask me a question I go on
13:51a tension and then I can't remember your
13:52question can you ask that one more time
13:56yes so it's interesting you know I've
14:03had a lot of spiritual work done over
14:05the last four years since I've lived in
14:06Maui I've completely transformed as a
14:08person and and my my purpose I believe
14:13all along has been to in I want to help
14:16suffering the whole world is suffering
14:18in some way there's so many people that
14:20are depressed better numb that are in a
14:22state of unconsciousness and I want
14:25everybody to be able to enjoy life
14:26really so I kind of it's interesting you
14:29know I'm a physical therapist I call
14:31myself more of a healer than a PT at
14:33this point and yoga instructor obviously
14:36all that other stuff but my whole
14:39purpose before this happened was like I
14:41want to get you out of pain I want you
14:43to be able to enjoy life
14:45yeah really that's it it's like let's
14:48let's get each other happier again and
14:50now it's kind of like it just kept
14:52coming in when I was there it's like
14:54your purpose is to wake people up your
14:58purpose is to shake people alive to
15:00realize that we all have this same thing
15:02inside of us I'm no different than
15:03anybody else and we all get to choose
15:05life on a daily basis we all get to
15:08choose happiness it's like which wolf we
15:10feed right on our shoulders so making
15:13decisions and actions and behaviors that
15:15are backing that up to create we create
15:20the life that we live so so really it's
15:23it's interesting that it shifted so much
15:25from a place of life let me just put my
15:26hands on a patient and try my best to
15:28get them out of pain and to have them
15:30enjoy life a little bit too like now it
15:32feels more like widespread like I'm
15:34reaching a bigger body of people which
15:36is beautiful and I'm just looking for
15:38that pyramid effect in the most
15:39beautiful way that's a bad word but if
15:41somebody has a different word I'll use
15:42it but that branch effect where we can
15:46all just be like spreading our arms out
15:48touching as many people as possible to
15:49create that like positive shift in light
15:53and hearts
15:57yeah hey there a minute shot that
16:00usually starts thank you for inviting us
16:01yesterday I'm still recovering so don't
16:03that could be as articulate as you have
16:04been people who are unfamiliar with the
16:07lie may not understand how easy it is to
16:10get disoriented in the forest in the
16:13jungles can you explain how you lost
16:15your sense of direction you know it's so
16:21interesting because the story starts off
16:24like I just got lost in the woods you
16:26know it's it's hard to explain what
16:31happened I that that's a very grounded
16:35way to put it getting like disoriented
16:38in the forest but there was something
16:40bigger at play you know but to answer
16:44your question specifically I will say ma
16:46clough forest anybody that's been there
16:47searching you guys know I mean you turn
16:50your head one way and it looks exactly
16:51like the other way exactly like the
16:52other way I'm like which way is north
16:53which way is my car
16:56so Michael all fours in particular
16:57there's something very tricky there in
17:00that particular forest Haleakala I have
17:04my bearings other places on the island I
17:06have my bearings but that particular
17:07it's just like it all went out the
17:10window and the only thing I could say is
17:14that you know I started off that morning
17:16and I said I had friends plans with my
17:18friend they got canceled nice that I
17:20have the whole day to myself what I want
17:21to do I need to connect to nature I need
17:23two grounds and so and it just came in
17:25so strong maca well forest maca well
17:27forest is like that's weird I haven't
17:29been there forever so I just went up
17:31there you know got out of my car was
17:33like well I'll go for like a three-mile
17:34like hike I I really love to stay away
17:39from EMF I love to show you from
17:41cellphones I love to just truly dig my
17:43feet in the dirt and connect to nature
17:45and and feel that and so that's my goal
17:48three miles whatever couple hours and I
17:53don't I don't really know what happened
17:55all I can say is that I got out of my
17:58car it's like you know
18:00I have a strong sense of internal
18:01guidance whatever you want to call that
18:03a voice spirit who everybody has a
18:07different name for it heart my heart was
18:11telling me walk down this path go left
18:13great go right it was so strong go left
18:16go right go left right I'm like great
18:18this is so strong that obviously when I
18:19turn around and go back to my car it's
18:21gonna be just as strong when I go back
18:22but it wasn't and it was probably that
18:26it was so I took a break i sat down I
18:30laid down on a tree I was looking at the
18:31sky and when I got up and I tried to go
18:33back the way that I came which I had a
18:35sense of direction at that point the
18:37path was not leading me back to my car
18:39and I tried all these different paths
18:40and then I was like oh shoot these are
18:42not bike paths to join up walking path
18:44such a bore paths so the bore paths were
18:46just leading me into boars dens and like
18:48you know off-roading essentially and so
18:51at that point I had no choice because
18:54everything looked the same I said well
18:55the only thing I have is my gut I don't
18:57have a compass and I want a cell phone
18:58so spirit or whatever you want to pray
19:02to I said I just I need your help right
19:04now I need to get back to my car please
19:06help guide me and I have it like I said
19:07I have a strong sense of guidance so I
19:09started following that sense of guidance
19:10and that sense of guidance is what led
19:13me on my journey that's what led me five
19:15miles away and and I believe that there
19:18is a bigger purpose to my story it's not
19:20just a girl that got lost in the woods
19:21it's this it's everything that's
19:23happening right now
19:23and that's why I was so off the beaten
19:27path is because this this is the result
19:30that needed to happen from my experience
19:36representing your sensei to your
19:38projects
19:43I wouldn't ask whether he talked a
19:48little bit more about your experiences
19:49that were meaningful to you out there
19:52yeah it was all meaningful I'm trying to
19:59think
20:09yeah I mean it was interesting you know
20:12it was almost there I've been working
20:15with a beautiful psychic named Ruth and
20:16I've been working with a lot of the
20:19strongest teachers in the world have
20:21come to me over the last six months to
20:24help guide me in a variety of ways and
20:26little did I know they were preparing me
20:28for what I what I'm calling spiritual
20:30boot camp which is what I went through
20:31and in Ruth recently the psychic I've
20:37been working with she's you know she
20:38guided me through this meditation she
20:40was like you're ready for your spiritual
20:41boot camp and I'm laughing with with
20:43Benny my boyfriend I'm like you know
20:44work we're going through spiritual boot
20:46camp and we do so much spiritual work on
20:47a daily basis I didn't think I would be
20:49going through the gauntlet by any means
20:52I thought I was doing enough work and
20:56every day there was like a different
20:59lesson every step there was a different
21:01lesson it was like the more I think the
21:04biggest thing that happened is like I
21:06had to really get out of my head
21:08I'm a very logistical analytical person
21:10multitasking organization all of that
21:13fell by the wayside I had to just leave
21:15all of that behind and it's like if I
21:17miss steps I sprained my ankle if I
21:20misstep I twisted my knee if I misstep I
21:23cut myself
21:23it was like one step closer to not being
21:25alive and at some point it's like you
21:29know something slapped me across the
21:31face and said whoa wake up put your feet
21:33on the ground pay attention to what's
21:35happening underneath of your feet it's
21:37slippery out here it's dangerous out
21:39here you could hurt yourself
21:40you could die you know take this
21:42seriously and and I just yeah it really
21:48it was it was the most present I've ever
21:50been in my entire life
21:51in my body grounded in my body and like
21:53every single step was like I'd
21:55life survival I'm doing this for my mom
21:58I'm doing this for Benny etc and and so
22:03that was I'd say that was profound being
22:06fully present I think for a lot of us
22:08with so many distractions in life it's
22:10tough for us to be present and it was an
22:12opportunity what's called an opportunity
22:15it was forced it was a beautiful forcing
22:19opportunity but I would say that you
22:23know something that really that happened
22:25that was completely profound was the one
22:28night I'm sitting there and I I had at
22:32some it was right after I sprained my I
22:34took a fall from 20 feet jambs my left
22:37knee up was screaming in pain I'm
22:39looking at the sky like you got to be
22:41kidding me
22:42and hobbled myself over it was like the
22:46next night there was a flash flood
22:47pretty it was pretty much like a flash
22:49flood I I was worried at some point that
22:52I was gonna get swept away down just
22:54down into the sea and I knew I was far
22:57away from this day but the water was
22:59that strong and I was sitting in a foot
23:02of water on hard rocks and then I knew
23:06were digging into my skin but I didn't
23:08have another choice and curled up into a
23:10ball and like the only thing that I
23:12couldn't sleep I was shaking so hard
23:14from my adrenals and cold that the only
23:17thing I could do was meditate and it was
23:19the only thing that brought me peace and
23:20it was at that moment of complete and
23:23utter breaking down of a human being
23:26that I reached the state of
23:29unconditional love and and the spirits
23:33like you know like you've been asking
23:35for this we're just gonna like strip all
23:37of these layers back you have nothing
23:39else left you're so raw you're so
23:41vulnerable the only thing that you have
23:43is your wide open heart and I felt my
23:45wide open heart penetrate every single
23:48cell of my being in any kind of dark
23:50spots that were in my body energetically
23:53whatever however you want to think about
23:55it we're just lit up and I felt myself
23:58like started to glow as I'm shaking at a
24:01foot of water sitting on a rock in the
24:04middle of a flash flood that was as dark
24:07but bright moments
24:09yeah that was that was that was one for
24:11the record books
24:18[Music]
24:21hi
24:24[Music]
24:33screaming out to you oh my god so I've
24:40known Javier for a few years he's crazy
24:42I love him he's my dive instructor he's
24:47my dive master we've been working
24:48together for a while it's it's just so
24:50funny that he's the one that came out of
24:51the woods and and I'm seeing these guys
24:54like come over me in the helicopter and
24:56I can't tell you my heart just fell
24:57through my feet I mean I just collapsed
25:00I had a plant in my mouth that I was
25:02planning on eating for dinner and I'm
25:04crying and I'm in the woods and I don't
25:06know how they spotted me I mean that is
25:08pure that is a miracle it's a miracle
25:10because I'm on this tiny and I knew and
25:13the grand scheme of things I'm in this
25:14tiny little piece of rock on the top of
25:17this waterfall how the heck are they
25:18gonna find me and then for a second I'm
25:20in the woods and then that second they
25:22find me it was a miracle and when I
25:25looked up and I saw the helicopter right
25:27over me and he's pointing right at me I
25:28just like fell to the ground and just
25:30started bawling and and and obviously at
25:34that point I'm like so attentive and
25:36like this is my survival this is my
25:38Savior I'm going to live and it was the
25:42communication non-verbally was very
25:44clear they were like we have to circle
25:46back around we can't drop down there was
25:47no space there for a helicopter I mean
25:50and when I I just earlier that day I
25:54mean I was having visions the whole time
25:55I had this vision of Javier rappelling
25:57up the waterfall and peeking his little
25:59head out and saying I got you girl
26:01and and I just I was like no way there's
26:05just no way and when I heard his is like
26:07a Tasmanian Devil coming out of the bush
26:09and when I and I heard that Tasmanian
26:12devil voice I was like just no way like
26:15what is I hear a voice and then I hear
26:17this other thing and and I heard it was
26:19a Kris berquist and then I heard this
26:20other thing and I was like that sounds
26:22like Javier and he's like you know who's
26:24crazy force this earth it's like oh my
26:26gosh you know I just collapsed and it
26:29was like the best first hug ever because
26:32what a man I
26:34you know it really it's just like he
26:37didn't give up on me and and we're
26:39friends but we're not that close and he
26:41didn't he wasn't gonna give up on me he
26:43was like I was gonna be out there every
26:44single day no matter what like I knew I
26:46had to save you and Chris berquist who
26:49doesn't know me you know it's just these
26:51these people I'm just so blown back
26:56there's not a word for my gratitude
26:58there's not a word for seeing this
27:01inhumanity seeing this Drive and this
27:04this not willing to give up attitude of
27:07like we're going to save you your
27:09another human being you're in my tribe
27:10and like we're going to get you out of
27:12here it's absolutely incredible so
27:17[Music]
27:22incredible support online through social
27:25media it can also be a double-edged
27:27sword there's been questions you know
27:31your boyfriend and Sara polygraphs put
27:33those shoes to rest and how would you
27:37like to respond to some of those cynics
27:39or skeptics who may be questioning or
27:41you know what's interesting is like I'm
27:43not one for social media and like you
27:46know I obviously wanted to get lost I
27:48didn't have my name on one services on
27:49my phone I'm like I had no idea how bad
27:52I wanted to get lost but I don't pay
27:56attention to social media this is what I
27:57believe is that there's a saying and I
28:01and I'm gonna probably screw it up but
28:03you know there's there's a wolf on each
28:04of our shoulders there's a good wolf on
28:05a bad wolf and negative positive however
28:08you light dark however you want to think
28:10about it in this world I don't believe
28:11it has to be in balance exactly but but
28:13I do believe that whatever wolf you feed
28:17is going to gain power and so I'm not
28:19feeding those wolves
28:22I think there's a lot of confused
28:24delusional people in the world that I'd
28:27love to help and that I'm not going and
28:32I've had a few disrupted people come up
28:34to me and say some disruptive things and
28:36and I feel bad for them I mean really
28:38underneath of it all just like the
28:40Buddha it's like I see their suffering
28:42and I see their confusion and I'm not
28:44taking it to heart and I'm not taking
28:45that energy energy in is the biggest
28:48thing so that's that's my recommendation
28:50it's like you can sit here and dig your
28:52nose into social media all day and and
28:54look at all these who I don't even want
28:57to know what's on the Internet as far as
28:59like stories and whatever and so I'm
29:04just choosing not to go there it's like
29:05ignorant is ignorance is bliss in this
29:08case because um I want to focus all of
29:10my energy on the positive and like
29:12feeding forward spreading the spark like
29:14let's like come together as a try of a
29:16community let's let the whole world know
29:18about this let's let's change the way
29:20that we operate as human beings I'm just
29:23ignoring it and you know I do want to
29:26give thanks to my boyfriend Benjamin I
29:28mean I I know he's he's under fight he's
29:30still under fire you know and and
29:33without his like perseverance like he
29:35was not going to give up on me no matter
29:36what he knew I was alive we were
29:38communicating in a different kind of way
29:40and and through it all like he took a
29:43polygraph he's like no big deal like
29:45I'll take a polygraph Sara I mean Sara
29:47barely knows me she stuck her neck out
29:49for me over and opens continues to and
29:51so I have a lot of things for these
29:53people that are kind of taking the fall
29:56for me sticking my head in the sand I
29:58understand that but what I do recommend
30:01is that you know let's not feed that
30:03let's just like rise above and look down
30:06on it
30:08and then see the suffering underneath of
30:09all of it
30:22I can barely hear you add bat ears yes
30:50no so I'm I'm extremely healthy my mom
30:55you know I talked to my mom on the daily
30:56and I was like manifesting this whole
30:58thing I'm like I want to know what it's
31:00like to not be dependent on food I could
31:02survive 30 days without food you know
31:04these are words that came out of my
31:05mouth the month before this all happened
31:06which is just crazy and I'm so careful
31:09with my words from now on please
31:10everybody be careful with your words but
31:14no no so I'm trying to think that
31:17morning I didn't have any caffeine I'm
31:20very careful with caffeine because we
31:23all carry typically a load of adrenal
31:25shock and caffeine feeds that and so I
31:29didn't have any caffeine I got up and I
31:31was I meditated I cleaned a little bit I
31:34was gonna get together with my friend
31:35Jen I had a suit a superfood smoothie
31:37which is like you know if you want to
31:39know what's in it
31:40ashwagandha which is good from the nerve
31:42system etc protein powder whatever and I
31:45had an Rx bar and then I had some water
31:49and then I went hiking so I really
31:52didn't have much in my stomach and I
31:54didn't have any caffeine and I didn't
31:55have any sugar I try to avoid sugar I
31:58definitely didn't have any drugs or
32:00alcohol or anything like that you know
32:03like anybody that knows me and knows my
32:05spiritual journey in the last few years
32:07knows that I get high off of life and I
32:09can have people and heart
32:12and so mmm I don't know everybody can
32:15have their little theories there I don't
32:17care yeah hi
32:39I do it's not that I think that it's
32:46that I was it's that I feel to have a
32:50pretty good level of communication with
32:54what I call spirit God source whatever
32:59you want to call it I have a very strong
33:00spiritual relationship you know some
33:02people aren't comfortable talking about
33:03that I am because it guides my life and
33:06and I will say that the thing that cats
33:10coming in over and over again any time I
33:12had that victim mentality is that manat
33:17your punishment this is your destiny
33:19this is your journey this is part of
33:21your path so after hearing that multiple
33:26times I started to accept that it was
33:28coming into a place of acceptance okay
33:30all this stuff is being shed this is my
33:32journey this is my journey it's like you
33:34know it kept coming in you want to heal
33:35people you want to help suffering this
33:37is your journey you have to be on this
33:39side of things to understand to move
33:42forward to really help people and so at
33:45some point probably about halfway into
33:47the days that I was out there I came
33:48into a place of complete acceptance of
33:50that where it was like this is my
33:52journey I have to choose life there's a
33:55reason why I have to keep myself alive
33:57and and yeah and in my mind I mean you
34:04know I understood all that this is so
34:05small with in my mind I'm coming out of
34:07the forest thinking maybe my mom's on
34:09Maui because she might be worried do you
34:11know what I mean so so like I'm I'm I'm
34:16just like I'm not one for the limelight
34:17I'm not like oh man to disappear the
34:19whole islands freaking out I'm like
34:20Amanda disappeared I bet you I wonder if
34:22Benny's got to hire another helicopter
34:24company tomorrow because they didn't
34:25find me today you know I mean it's so
34:28small scale so when I came out of the
34:32woods and Javier's like yeah there's all
34:34these people worried about you you're on
34:35Dateline I was like what really like
34:39your family's here my family's here he's
34:41like are you kidding me so just just
34:44baffled
34:45yeah again tangent sorry but this is
34:49this is so much bigger than me and and
34:52that's I think that's the most beautiful
34:54thing is like I'm so high I'm so
34:55grateful to be alive I wake up in the
34:57morning I'm like oh my god I had a warm
34:59bed that I got to sleep in and my body
35:00got to rest him to heal my ankles are
35:02getting stronger like grateful for every
35:05breath grateful for everything and I
35:09hope I never lose that and I think if I
35:11start to I'll get a strong reminder yeah
35:16but the bigger picture of this whole
35:18scenario of really what went down is the
35:21most beautiful thing is his hope and
35:23community and an Aloha and Ohana and
35:27Brotherhood and tribe ship and and all
35:30of that I can't reiterate enough is that
35:32if I start to see like a movement occur
35:34in the world it's like whoa I am so
35:37stoked that my story could have done
35:39that you know
35:42excuse me well we need just a just a
35:45second to prep her for her I have a
35:48doctor's appointment coming
36:00okay
36:14I just wanted to ask you because there
36:22were reports that you took enough while
36:24you were in the forest on that firstly I
36:26could be
36:27just explain where you felt lethargic or
36:31felt like you needed arrest I did lay on
36:37a tree and sit back and close my eyes
36:40and meditate so I enjoy meditation I
36:46didn't meditate as much as possible it's
36:48a very peaceful state of mind I
36:49recommend it highly and it allows us all
36:52an opportunity to connect to something
36:55deeper within ourselves something you
36:59know that's away from the distractions
37:02of life so I meditate as much as
37:05possible and and it was just kind of an
37:09opportunity to close my eyes to connect
37:11to nature to feel wind water air you
37:14know all those kind of things yeah but
37:17it wasn't like it wasn't lethargic it's
37:20like this is my day off I'm gonna lay on
37:21this log and close my eyes
37:36I'm all with KITV you talked a little
37:39bit about that tribal community I'm sure
37:41you're probably are aware that there is
37:43another missing hiker Noah Kukai and so
37:46you have some understanding of what he
37:48may be going through and what his
37:50family's going through I just wanted you
37:52to talk a little bit about that are your
37:54thoughts on that and then maybe John
37:57maybe you can answer as far as the I
37:59know some of the rescuers are going to
38:00help that but if more of that is going
38:03to transition the this stuff the
38:05everything that help you find you yeah
38:10you know it's very interesting I know
38:13him secondarily Cano is she goes to the
38:17same yoga studio after the yoga and it's
38:20her brother and and on the way so I've
38:24been working with this amazing shaman
38:26her name is Mary Ellen she came from
38:27Southern Maryland and she has been a
38:29pinnacle part of my healing and
38:31understanding of really what is going on
38:33and what's happening right now being
38:35able to protect me energetically and she
38:40said to me last night she goes I know
38:41this is not and this is not an opportune
38:44time but no one needs your help and I
38:45was like wow you know I will give
38:49anything and and I felt that this
38:52morning I'm in the car with mom and
38:53we're on our way and I said I need to
38:55say a prayer for Noah it's just coming
38:56through me it's not something I'm
38:59thinking it's something I'm feeling and
39:02it's it's a different circumstance I'm
39:07just going to call it different from my
39:09understanding
39:12Noah was in a place where he did leave a
39:16note and he wasn't really sure he's
39:18confused and he wasn't really he's not
39:20really sure what he wants out of life at
39:23this point and and I can't you know the
39:28only thing I can do is pray for him and
39:31I can't be boots on the ground right now
39:34but the only thing I could do is pray
39:36for him and try to offer him some
39:37spiritual guidance so that he can find a
39:41deeper sense of being a deeper sense of
39:44wanting to be here and wanted to return
39:47to his amazing family who I know his
39:49family through you know Maui's small and
39:52I know they're amazing people and I
39:55can't imagine what his dad and his mom
39:59and his sister going through right now
40:01with him you know going through this
40:05he's going through his own Souls journey
40:06to figure out if he wants to be here so
40:09my heart really reaches out to his
40:11family and my heart reaches out to him
40:15yeah Liz the gnarly place everybody
40:17knows that you know it's it's a lot
40:19scarier in my opinion than where I was
40:22given the history and you know I guess
40:29this is a perfect opportunity if if it's
40:33okay to say I would love to say a prayer
40:34for him and I would love to send that
40:36out through these microphones and I hope
40:39that everybody else can like sit with me
40:41in their hearts and say that prayer from
40:42their hearts that we can all like get
40:44him back home if he chooses to be home
40:47it is his choice as a human being
40:49whether he wants to be here or not but
40:52my heart really reaches out to Noah and
40:53and and I'm sorry for whoever's cun
40:57comfortable with prayer but this is just
40:58happening right now
41:00so I'm sending a prayer out right now
41:04Great Spirit angels teachers guides
41:06helpers of the light and only of the
41:08light and I'm asking with all of these
41:13hearts and all of these beautiful people
41:15behind this prayer today that we reach
41:18Noah that we are able to touch his heart
41:24to help him in this moment of confusion
41:29to find clarity for his life his purpose
41:32his self to find the love within himself
41:37to stay alive to find the love within
41:40himself to stay alive for his family for
41:41his community for his tribe and all of
41:43these beautiful people that only only
41:45only want him in the world that this is
41:50a pinnacle turning point in his life and
41:52that this will serve as a strong
41:55foundation from him to build upon from
41:57him to make a difference in the world
42:02I believe and I feel that Noah has
42:04beautiful beautiful things to offer the
42:07world and that this is his opportunity
42:11to choose life
42:22and I hope his heart is open I hope his
42:26mind is clear and I hope he is protected
42:30by mother Maui in those Maui mountains
42:37I send all of my love and all of my
42:40support to his family and his friends
42:45and the search teams and I ask that this
42:51be taken more seriously than my than my
42:56search this is an opportunity for us to
42:59really really show up we have been
43:02training we've been training through my
43:05experience and now let's show up for
43:06Noah right I I do believe that he's
43:11going to come out of this a stronger a
43:13wiser version of himself and I can't
43:21wait to meet him and others
43:45I really like to see is to talk about
43:53searching rescue efforts and not the
43:56civilian those that have a policy in
43:59place that says after 72 hours the
44:02officials are going to shut down that
44:03search and it's great if civilians take
44:06over I'm sorry if they just trying to
44:19think about how to word this I knew that
44:24was the case it was like a knowing that
44:26they were thought that was over the
44:28first day after I went missing I heard
44:31the helicopters and I was like okay
44:32great Thank You Benny like thank you for
44:34taking the seriously you know calling
44:37and rescue efforts all that kind of
44:38stuff but it was it was really crazy to
44:41me you know I spent my entire time the
44:44first week let's say just trying to
44:46become more visible to helicopters those
44:48helicopters
45:06I really appreciate the efforts of
45:08everybody of everybody on all levels
45:12that came out to rescue me especially
45:14those that were enforced by the state
45:18there was a difference in feeling
45:20between the rescue efforts and there was
45:23something that shifted within the first
45:24few days after the rescue efforts of the
45:26state stopped I felt more heart what I
45:34ask is that this be taken more seriously
45:39that missing people be taken more
45:42seriously that on a state level we are
45:47able to expand those policies so that we
45:55know that our tribe is taken care of
46:00I hope that answers your question I
46:04don't have much more to say than that
46:16would you go back and any advice for
46:22someone like that you know cell phones
46:29are great people everybody knows that
46:32I'm you know i-i've been strongly
46:36against certain systems for a long time
46:38and like that was ignorant so you know
46:41what I would say is obviously I should
46:43have had a cell phone with me
46:44there's GPS locator on there there's a
46:46reason why we carry them all the time
46:47you know obviously it's like you could
46:49go for a hike by yourself it's no big
46:51deal just like take a cell phone take
46:53some water you know I just thought I was
46:55going for a short little jaunt of like a
46:57run and then back to my car but what I
46:59would say is be over-prepared you know
47:03be no matter what it's like I it's so
47:06funny I'm always an over-prepare and I
47:09always have food and water and sunscreen
47:12and had and I always do that it's just
47:14that day for some reason I did not and
47:16and that's why I believe it was part of
47:19my spiritual journey you know I believe
47:21that it was like all these things needed
47:22to get stripped away all these comforts
47:24so that I can go on my own journey that
47:27was just my experience but I think
47:29everybody knows in Maui you know it's a
47:31lot it's a friendly jungle there's not
47:33much that'll get you but but still like
47:36be prepared you know Suns gnarly and
47:38winds gnarly rain flash floods you know
47:40and I think anybody that has done any
47:43hiking Hawaii knows like take extra
47:45precaution and just pay attention to
47:48where your feet are and kind of drop
47:51into the moment and be present it can
47:54get scary quick so
48:04oh if they had not found me so that last
48:09day it's so interesting you know I
48:11reached I reached that top of that
48:12waterfall and I'm not one for height so
48:14I'd like there's a waterfall just above
48:16it was probably like 10 to 15 feet like
48:18a little hop in and I was terrified and
48:21I was like okay I got to the next little
48:23waterfall and and it was 30 feet and I
48:26was like no if I if I jump off of here
48:29I'm gonna probably break my leg and then
48:31I'm done so I knew I'm checking in I'm
48:35like this is where I'm supposed to be it
48:36was very obvious it was very clear it's
48:38like the helicopter is going to pick you
48:40up at this spot x marks the spot
48:42I'm staying right here and that's like
48:44when I really got fried because I didn't
48:46want to I didn't want to be in the woods
48:48I wanted to be available where they
48:49could see me no matter what I was gonna
48:50like stand up and through all my pain
48:52and wave my arms and flag them down
48:56so again forgot your question but oh so
49:01so that last day it was very obvious
49:05that I needed to be in that spot but
49:10then of course your mind gets wandering
49:11and I'm thinking where's food waters
49:14here thank God my body was surviving off
49:16of the water from the waterfall but food
49:19was very limited in that particular spot
49:21and I really was getting to the point
49:22where I couldn't hike anymore my ankles
49:24were binding up and I was looking all
49:27around there was no fruit there was
49:28almost no none of the other plants that
49:30I was eating and so I was about to get
49:33very crafty I was about to start making
49:35clothes out of ferns
49:37I was about to really start testing the
49:41plants that I could eat you know and I
49:43will say David Bruce Leonard is an
49:44incredible guide into the Hawaiian
49:48plants and I've used his book for four
49:50years and he was there yesterday and I
49:52just thanked him profoundly I'm like
49:53without the knowledge that you have
49:55given me I don't know what I would have
49:57done it would have been so confused out
49:58there what can I eat what could I not I
49:59might have not eaten anything at all and
50:01then who knows so I had in my mind
50:04somewhere in there it popped in for days
50:05I had four days
50:08to live before I really had to start
50:10getting crafty with restructuring my
50:12idea about survival so but I think as
50:17far as if I would have been moved I
50:18would have had to move because the food
50:20sources were nil where I was so the only
50:23option I really had would probably be to
50:26go back upstream where I knew there was
50:28food I don't think I would have gone
50:30down and they Troy tells me he's a boar
50:33hunter he's the one who rescued me from
50:34the helicopter he says if you would have
50:36kept going down we would have never
50:37found you it led nowhere so if anything
50:41I was I was heading back back upstream
50:43but I don't have to I don't have to
50:46survive another day so yeah Molly again
50:51from NBC so you've chosen life you chose
50:55life every day of that journey what do
50:58you want now how are you how are you
51:00going to give back where do you go I
51:03don't know you know my life just changed
51:05like overnight I'm like I'm just
51:08thinking about my like getting my
51:10patients back on my schedule you know it
51:12truly it's like the my patients came to
51:13see me I was like how are you like I'm
51:15gonna treat you as soon as possible
51:16because that's my purpose like I'm so
51:18driven by purpose of being here and
51:20helping people come out of pain and
51:22enjoy their life that like that's what
51:24gets me going in the morning so as soon
51:27as possible as soon as I can heal and
51:29get back on my feet I'm treating again
51:31the patient population that I was
51:33treating previously you know there's a
51:35lot of I don't even know chatter there's
51:40a lot of very strong direction leading
51:42me to a Wellness Center in the next five
51:46years where I want to be able to help
51:49really sick people get really well
51:52that's my goal you know on a small scale
51:55on a large scale it's like I have so
51:58many incredible people my friends my
52:00family all of these people that I'm
52:02surrounded by right now are like doing
52:04work you know it's like having these
52:06little conversations changing the way
52:08people think about life it's like that's
52:10the pyramid effect I'm kind of like just
52:12sitting on top of it's like I have all
52:14these little workers doing all the work
52:15and
52:16and that's something that's just gonna
52:18be happening it's I don't think it's
52:19something I need to like do it just
52:22feels like it's flowing at this point
52:23and so I just want to see that candle
52:25continue to burn that flame continue to
52:27burn and for us to continue to pass the
52:29torch on to one another but really like
52:31my my prior use just to get back to my
52:35life and to get back to treating the
52:36patients that I was treating previously
52:37to get them better I just want to see
52:48more people I just want to see more
52:52people live with ferocity of life you
52:55know I want to see people like smile
52:58because they're glad to be alive and
53:00it's not because they bought any car you
53:03know so so yeah that that's the biggest
53:07thing if this inspires nothing else
53:09that's that's what I'd like to see is
53:10like everybody every morning like the
53:12first thought I choose life got my feet
53:15on the ground I'm in my body I'm so
53:17thankful to be alive this place is
53:19amazingly beautiful we're so lucky to
53:22live here and we're surrounded by like
53:24people that care about is that might not
53:26even know our name you know it's I think
53:28we're all blessed super blessed
54:01and years how many helicopters
54:10at least 20 you know it's it's it's a
54:16huge jungle Maui is a huge done all
54:19these islands are huge jungles and it's
54:22like a needle-in-a-haystack trying to
54:23find a person out there you know but you
54:26know it's it's so tough I'm not in their
54:30seat I don't see what they see you know
54:32like I have no idea what helicopter
54:34training is like I have no idea of the
54:36patterns they use to cover ground you
54:38know so it's just it's so hard for me to
54:40to sit here and say anything about the
54:43attempts that they made because I know
54:45I'm just hoping that they tried their
54:47best but all I could say is from my tiny
54:50little you know perspective of standing
54:52on that rock waving my hands it's like I
54:54felt invisible but again it's like a
54:57needle-in-a-haystack scenario so it's
55:00just so hard to say anything about that
55:12now shoes crews for most of
55:15how did you lose them as how did you do
55:18all so actually the first it was the
55:24night before Mother's Day it was
55:25Saturday May whatever that the night
55:28before Mother's Day that's when I fell
55:30and hurt my knee and it's because I had
55:33my shoes on and I had to get back down
55:35to a water source I was about to pass
55:36out from dehydration and when I lowered
55:40myself back down into the water it was a
55:4220-foot drop it was a sheer cliff the
55:45plants didn't hold me up boom it was I
55:48threw my shoes off
55:50and then it was that next night you know
55:52I was like putting SOS on rocks so that
55:54hopefully they would see them from above
55:56and I put my shoe I was putting any kind
55:58of clothing that I could take off of my
56:00body out so maybe they could see that
56:02there was like a sign of a human being
56:04there and it was that night of the flash
56:06flood where I put my shoes on very big
56:08huge rocks but the flooding that was
56:11happening just swept them right away and
56:12so it was at that point that was
56:14probably like six or seven days into it
56:16or something like that that I was at
56:19that point I'm stuck in the waterfall
56:20because I'm not going back into the bush
56:22without shoes on and and suffering a
56:25puncture one in the bottom of my foot so
56:26so yeah I would say it I had like six to
56:29seven days with shoes and then the rest
56:30of it without the shoes were more of an
56:32impediment in the water and so I would
56:34have gotten rid of them anyway
56:36living on Maui we should all have tough
56:38feet you walking around barefoot as much
56:39as possible it's like free we feel like
56:41free reflexology so so yeah not anytime
56:48soon yeah
56:59so the thing is I never for whatever
57:01reason I was drawn to that parking lot I
57:03had never started hiking in that parking
57:05lot before finding water and can you
57:19just take us through I don't know if you
57:21can recall when you start a good
57:23following along water and I know you
57:25talked about calling the big drill so
57:26just if you can recall when you got on
57:30the trail you were Oregon I mean the
57:35path changed constantly it was it was
57:37just like that internal navigation that
57:40started in Makkah forests of like right
57:42left right left it was that way the
57:44entire time
57:46especially when going through the bush
57:48because there's like there are some
57:50trails and then there's not so it's
57:54difficult to say there was no path it
57:56was just kind of like okay go that way
57:58okay you're gonna get to that tree over
58:00there
58:00make a right you're gonna get to that
58:02over there make a left and it was all
58:04you know my intention the whole time my
58:06intention is like I need to become more
58:08visible to the helicopters I need to
58:09head back to my car you know the entire
58:11time I'm like thinking as I'm getting
58:14further away from the starting point
58:16that I'm getting closer to my car but it
58:18was just the way I was guided and that's
58:20all I had was my guidance so so yeah the
58:25water I mean it it was it was like I
58:27lost my shoes I got to stay close to the
58:29water also if you get too far away from
58:31the water it was the day
58:32where I almost passed out from
58:34dehydration I said water is the only
58:36thing that's gonna keep me alive so I
58:38just need to if nothing else I stay
58:40close to the water and I just see how
58:42long I can last and then of course
58:44there's some food sources there too so
58:46yeah about day seven I was on the water
58:50on that stream that same string from
58:53then on out I'm pretty much on crutches
59:00my ankles are really uncomfortable it's
59:03more from like body bushwhacking as what
59:07I'm calling it you know through the
59:09brush which is like dead ferns or thorny
59:11just so everybody knows
59:13and so they hacked into my ankles pretty
59:15good so I mean I have some wounds on my
59:18ankles really that's the worst of it my
59:21knees a little painful no big deal four
59:24weeks tops
59:25you know and I should be back I should
59:27be back on my feet in the next two
59:28without crutches hopefully so as soon as
59:33I can comfortably sit in a chair and
59:34back treating so yep I'm not gonna stand
59:41but

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