Grasping onto nearby stalks of corn as she tripped into an abandoned well may not have stopped Su Qixiu's fall, but it probably did save her life. Su (alternately described by the media as 38 and 48 years old) fell into the well in central China while out picking herbs in a corn field. The walls of the 13-foot well were too smooth to climb, so she called for help—but none came for 15 days (or possibly 16 days, depending on which news report you read). She survived by eating the corn she had grasped at as she tumbled and drinking rainwater until a villager finally heard her, the BBC reports.
"I spent every day hoping that someone would walk by and rescue me. I called out every day, and although there was no response, I did not give up," she says. Su dropped 35 pounds—down to 80 pounds—while in the well and was not in a good way when she was first rescued, but is now in stable condition in the hospital. (More China stories.)
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