| BEYOND THE BOOK! Flash back! It's 1985. The gun went off - point blank range!
She was shot in the back of the head, pushed down the stairs of EgyptAir-Flight 648, and
left for dead on the airport tarmac. Another terrorist hijacking! Jackie had been a
teacher for disabled learners. Fun loving and high spirited she jumped at the opportunity
to teach in an American School in Egypt. While there, she planned a vacation trip to
Athens: to do some sight-seeing, ride a camel, enjoy the benefits of her new job. In
planning her vacation, a friend discussed the possibility of a hijacking which was the
atmosphere in 1985. Like most of us Jackie's thoughts were "That's what happens to
other people, but certainly, not her."
When the plane was taken over, the reaction of the passengers was terror, amidst
the hail of gunfire and dead bodies. More than 60 people died in this incident. The
hijackers announced that until their demands were met, every fifteen minutes they would
shoot and kill one passenger. When Jackie hit the cement of the airport she realized she
was in major pain, but still alive. Her desperate, firm will power to "play
dead" is what kept her alive. She lay there for more than a three hour period. When
the rain started it added seething pain to the bullet wound. No one knew she was still
alive until her body, with the others, had been placed in a van - bound for the morgue.
Like many of you I had seen Jackie on television, relating her story. I watched her
beautiful smiling face, and saw her speak with great enthusiasm and exuberance. How could
anyone survive, and seem so well adjusted that went through this unbelievable experience?
It took ten years before she could tell her story in a book form, Miles
To Go Before I Sleep. She has adjusted well emotionally, but it took nearly
11 years. Her major fears of air-flight were of experiencing another hijacking and not
surviving.
As you can see from her photo, she looks completely cured. When you speak with
her, you're convinced. But the struggle is and will be a daily one. Her vision is still
fragmentary; she sees in pieces. She has learned to effectively scan her view by moving
her head from side to side, or up and down to see a complete picture. Her short term
memory has improved and she no longer needs to keep so many notes. The epilepsy continues
but medication controls it. She has not had a seizure in 12 years.
About 7 1/2 years after the hijacking, she met and married Jim. They have one
son, Tanner. One of her saddest moments came when she realized she would never see her
baby, all at once. She needs to scan to see all of him. As she healed more, she realized
the many lessons she was learning needed to be shared. She had learned in the grieving
process, that good does come from bad. She learned more about faith in God and in her
doctors. She trusted that the doctors would find help for her. The main lesson was that,
"Whatever comes our way, it will all be okay, no matter what the outcome."
These considerations became her motivating force, her drive to return to the
best possible health and with the most positive of attitudes, and put that genuine smile
back on her face. She was determined to conquer her fears, to teach herself to read and
comprehend again. She has much to share, and many to help. She needed to continue to live,
and for the future, to tell her story.
Her present schedule is amazing. For the past 12 years, Jackie has been a
professional motivational keynote speaker, particularly for conferences and when major
businesses merge, that may have employees facing a job change. As we know, losing a job is
not unlike a kind of dying.
She is also a spokesperson for the Novartis Pharmaceutical Company. They are the
company that provides the medication that keeps her epilepsy in control.
Though Jackie hails from Texas, she is now a Minnesota resident. She travels all
over the United States and Canada bringing her message of hope and inspiration. For more
information about her book, Jackie can be reached at Jackie Nink Pflug and Associates,
P.O. Box 44756, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. Or visit her Web site at www.JackiePflug.com.
If you'd like to share your personal story or if you know someone who could lift our
spirits, please send your story and a photo to: Stressfree Living, Attn: Uncommon Courage,
17483 Sunset Trail, Suite A, Prior Lake, MN 55372 or e-mail at Stresslink@aol.com.
Stressfree Living is on the web at www.stressfreelivingmagazine.com. |
