Drama in Real Life

Small But Mighty: Cracking the Code

The 18-year-old has been coding since Grade 2. She's now an aerospace cybersecurity expert interning at NASA.

Small But Mighty: 17-Year-Old Saves Soles (and Feet)

18-year-old Indian girl has donated 28,000 shoes over the last five years


Small But Mighty: 15-Year-Old Gallerist Creates Art Opportunities

Nalin Kamat didn't want to see youth shut out of the commercial art world


Small But Mighty: 11-Year-Old Crafts Comforts for Kids With Cancer

Alberta tween with brain cancer enlists some NHL help as a 'childhood cancer awareness warrior'


How I Survived A Parachute Malfunction—1,200 Metres Up!

With the ground below her rapidly coming closer and the parachute wrapped around her leg, skydiver Jordan Hatmaker prepared to...

How I Survived a “Snownado” While Trapped in My Car

Stuck at the side of the road in swirling snow and shrieking wind—a phenomenon nicknamed a "snownado"—Shannon St. Onge feared...


Water Flooded His Basement Apartment As He Fought to Escape

In the middle of the night, Christian Fleischmann awoke to water rushing into his apartment. He had to escape—and fast.

A Brutal Alligator Attack Was Just the Beginning of His Three-Day Ordeal

Critically injured, and repeatedly stalked by the gator, could Eric Merda navigate his way out of the treacherous Florida swampland?


Seeing Three Drowning Women, This Quick-Thinking Waiter Dove Into the Icy River

Despite having no lifesaving training, Paul Blachut knew he had to everything he could to rescue them.


As the Lion Bit Down, the Man Felt Sure He Was About to Die

A classic Drama in Real Life from the Reader's Digest archives, originally published in 1977.


Drama in Real Life: Rogue Bear on the Rampage

A tragic true story of heroism in the face of horror from the Reader's Digest archives, originally published in 1999.

A Terrifying Brush With Death at the Brink of Niagara Falls

If the hydro workers didn’t act fast, Sherry Vyverberg would be swept over the falls—or caught in the swirling blades...


The Woman Who Wrestled a Cougar

With no one to call for help, Larrane Leech put herself face-to-face with a young cougar to protect the children...


Drama in Real Life: Gunned Down on a Honduran Highway

After Wally Eamer was shot during an armed robbery in Honduras, his wife and kids fought to keep him from...


Drama in Real Life: Trapped in a Fiery Wreck

Even now, Beatrice Roberts can’t recall why her truck veered off the highway and burst into flames. But she knows...


A Deadly Snowstorm

On December 13, 2010, hundreds of motorists were trapped by a blinding snowstorm, which shut down a 30-kilometre stretch of...

These People Faced a Certain Death—and Lived to Tell the Tale

When faced with certain death, it takes bravery, determination—and plenty of luck. The stories of four people who lived to...


Drama in Real Life: A Collection of Reader’s Digest’s Most Gripping Survival Stories

Can’t get enough of the heart-stopping survival stories in Reader's Digest's Drama in Real Life section? You’ll be on the...


When a Speeding Boat Severed His Arm, This Diver Fought to Survive

After a speeding boat nearly killed Carter Viss, he vowed to work with the driver to make sure it never...


After an Earthquake Devastated Alaska, a Reporter Came to the Rescue

In the terrifying aftermath of the Great Alaska Earthquake, 37-year-old broadcaster Genie Chance became the voice of hope and comfort.


This Man Was Bitten By a Rattlesnake—After It Had Been Decapitated!

When Jeremy Sutcliffe decapitated the poisonous snake, he assumed that would be the end of it. He was wrong.


How a Chicago Hospital Pulled Off Back-to-Back Triple Organ Transplants

Before 2018, only 15 triple organ transplants—heart, liver and kidney—had ever been performed in the United States. Then, over the...


This B.C. Skier Got Lost in a Snowstorm—Could Rescuers Find Him in Time?

Mark Gayowski took an unmarked ski trail into a deep ravine. Every attempt at escape only left him more lost.


After Her Husband Fell Into a Dormant Volcano on Their Honeymoon, This Woman Had to Carry Him to Saf...

A dream honeymoon hike to the rim of a jungle crater ends with a terrible fall. Now a young bride...


How a Group of Tourists Survived a Devastating Avalanche in the Italian Alps

Forty people gathered at a hotel high in the Italian Alps. Then came the earthquake, the devastating avalanche—and the race...

How a Pocket Knife Saved This Man During a Grizzly Bear Attack

Alone on a mountain and pinned under a grizzly, Colin Dowler reached for a pocket knife and struggled for...


He Was Dangling Upside Down From An Airplane When Two Pilots Came To His Rescue

When Walter Osipoff’s parachute caught on his plane’s tail, leaving him dangling high above San Diego, his only hope was...


To Get Help, This Man Had To Leave His Kids on a Cliff. He Prayed They Would Survive

God asks us to forgive others, but if you’re responsible for your children’s demise, how do you ever forgive yourself?


This 10-Year-Old Got Impaled By A Skewer. Could Doctors Remove It In Time?

Xavier Cunningham fell onto a rotisserie skewer and impaled his face. Doctors couldn’t believe he was still alive.


After a Horrific Car Crash, Her Odds of Survival Were Just 100 to One

A devastating collision left Molei Wright's head attached to her shoulders by nothing but skin and muscle. Even if her...


A Snakebite Turned This Woman’s Thailand Vacation Into a Fight for Her Life

Doctors raced to find an antidote as the snake’s venom spread through Shalabha Kalliath’s body, attacking her organs and inching...