Oh boy. I agree with many of those previous reviews in that this is really two books - I can see that. However, I also can see the correlation. How can such a traumatic episode not affect how you live and view life? The two parts of the books were so different, that I remember them separately, yet at the same time, you cannot take Roberto's experience in the Andes out of the second part - it is a part of him.

The first part of the book discusses the plane crash and aftermath from Roberto's point of view. This was a refreshing story to me as we have all almost always heard it from Nando's point of view. Both men were undoubtably saviours to their friends, yet they were completely different people. And they were brought together by their experience. Nando was more stubborn and optimistic, while Roberto was hesitant and spiritual. What an incredible balance the two brought for their 10 day trek through the mountains! It is so interesting to hear about life in the Andes beyond the facts, beyond what happened, and hear how profoundly it touched one of them - Roberto describes the worst night of his life versus seeing the beautiful, comforting moon.

The second part of the book surprisingly got to me. I knew Roberto had become a well-known pediatric cardiologist. But I identified with the story as some of this felt like reading my own life. I was born with a heart defect and, while it was nowhere near as severe as the stories included, I identified with the kids and even the parents. I knew what I had growing up, and I remembered doctor's visits, being told I couldn't play contact sports without special permission, needing to watch getting any kind of infection, my second catheterization at age 5 during Easter, seeing my heart on the screen for the first time at age 16 and seeing the blood move through the hole (I knew this as an ultrasound, but I learned it is the echocardiogram that is discussed throughout the book!).... and yet my parents always had told me that I can do anything that anyone else can do.

I knew we had moved to Arizona, a dry environment, when I was a baby and moved back to the northeast when the doctors in AZ threatened my parents with a court order to operate against the advice of their original doctors. So, I knew our lives were affected, and that my younger sisters probably did not get all the attention they deserved. It wasn't until my sister's wedding that a friend of my parents' from the early days told me what all they actually went through - she was very emotional at seeing me grown up and thriving. And so I learned more about my time as a baby - how I weighed 11 lbs on my 1st birthday or how they had to leave me with my grandmother while they sorted out their lives in moving back from AZ.

I believe the one that hit me most in the book was reading about Maria del Rosario's parents - her mother described her outlook on life and it was like I was reading about myself. I never take a single day for granted, living each day to the fullest, even if I didn't fully understand why.

Overall, a great read and make sure you have plenty of tissues nearby!