There are many stories of people who faced numerous dangers with all the odds against them, making their death seemingly inevitable. Yet, miraculous events sometimes alter these odds and defy expectations. One such story is that of Mrs. Joan Murray, who fell from an altitude of over four kilometers and survived thanks to a divine intervention involving a swarm of fire ants.

The story begins with Mrs. Joan Murray, who lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, worked as an executive at an American bank, and was an avid skydiver. On September 25, 1999, she took off on a skydiving jump. At an altitude of 4.4 kilometers, she jumped into the air but was soon shocked to find that her main parachute had malfunctioned and failed to open. She plummeted at a speed of 128 kilometers per hour and barely managed to open her reserve parachute at 200 meters, which was not enough to prevent a free fall. She crashed into the ground and landed on a fire ant mound.

Naturally, the impact was severe, and Joan lost consciousness immediately, falling into a coma with death imminent. At the same time, the swarm of fire ants began to attack her with numerous painful stings—estimated by doctors to be over two hundred—which resulted in a significant increase in adrenaline in her body, ultimately restarting her heart to a regular rhythm.

Rescue teams arrived to retrieve Joan Murray, who had sustained severe injuries, including a shattered right side and dislodged dental fillings from the impact. She spent two weeks in a coma at Carolinas Medical Center, eventually surviving after 20 reconstructive surgeries and 17 blood transfusions. Over time, she recovered from her injuries and returned to her job and, in 2001, resumed her skydiving hobby.