--- product_id: 268908451 title: "I Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives" price: "₨33116" currency: LKR in_stock: true reviews_count: 5 url: https://www.desertcart.lk/products/268908451-i-had-to-survive-how-a-plane-crash-in-andes store_origin: LK region: Sri Lanka --- # I Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives **Price:** ₨33116 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** I Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives - **How much does it cost?** ₨33116 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.lk](https://www.desertcart.lk/products/268908451-i-had-to-survive-how-a-plane-crash-in-andes) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Dr. Roberto Canessa recounts his side of the famous 1972 plane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in the Andean Mountains and how, decades later, the harrowing journey to survive propelled him to become one of the world's leading pediatric cardiologists, seeing in his patients the same fierce will to live he witnessed in the Andes.As he tended to his wounded Old Christians teammates amidst the devastating carnage, rugby player Roberto Canessa, a second-year medical student at the time, realized that no one on earth was luckier: he was alive--and for that, he should be eternally grateful. As the starving group struggled beyond the limits of what seemed possible, Canessa played a key role in safeguarding his fellow survivors, eventually trekking with a companion across the hostile mountain range for help. No one could have imagined that there were survivors from the accident in such extreme conditions. Canessa's extraordinary experience on the fine line between life and death became the catalyst for the rest of his life. This uplifting tale of hope and determination, solidarity and ingenuity, gives vivid insight into the world-famous story that inspired the movie Alive! Canessa also draws a unique and fascinating parallel between his work as a doctor diagnosing very complex congenital cardiopathies in unborn and newborn infants and the difficult life-changing decisions he was forced to make in the Andes. With grace and humanity, Canessa prompts us to ask ourselves: what do you do when all the odds are stacked against you? Review: Puntualidad, esmerado trasporte y embalaje - Perfecto estado Review: Unglaublich, spannend, ergreifend erzählt Roberto Canessa vom Flugzeugabsturz in den Anden - Der Memoir von Roberto Canessa ist unglaublich interessant. Canessa ist einer der 16 Überlebenden des Uruguayan Air Force Flug 571, der 1972 in den Anden abgestürzt ist. Damals noch Medizinstudent, erzählt Canessa auf ehrliche und fesselnde Art über die Geschehnisse der damaligen Zeit und wie er und 15 andere schlussendlich Wochenlang in den Anden ausharrten bis er und sein Kollege und Freund Nando Parrado schließlich mit letzter Kraft Hilfe holten. Er beschreibt die Rettung, was in ihnen damals vorging sowie das ganze aus Sicht seiner Eltern und damaligen Freundin/heutigen Frau. Der zweite Teil des Buches beschreibt die Zeit seit dem Absturz. Das weitere Medizinstudium und die Zeit als Arzt, die Ausbildung als Pädiatrischer Kardiologe und schließlich verschiedene Patienten die ihm im Gedächtnis geblieben sind. Bis zum Schluss scheint alles was Canessa macht durch den Absturz motiviert. Er hat seitdem das tiefe Gefühl, seinen sozusagen "für ihn" verstorbenen Kollegen des Rugby Teams und deren Angehörigen beweisen zu müssen, dass diese nicht umsonst gestorben sind. Ergreifende Beschreibung, die ich allen empfehlen kann, die in ihrem Leben durch eine harte Zeit gehen und allen, die den Sinn im Leben suchen. Auch Medizinern ist dieses Buch zu empfehlen. ## Features - ATRIA ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #417,225 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #312 in History of Expeditions & Discoveries #377 in Biographies of Medical Professionals #553 in Science & Technology | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 231 Reviews | ## Images ![I Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81HB4xin7VL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Puntualidad, esmerado trasporte y embalaje *by A***A on 1 January 2026* Perfecto estado ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unglaublich, spannend, ergreifend erzählt Roberto Canessa vom Flugzeugabsturz in den Anden *by T***N on 15 July 2017* Der Memoir von Roberto Canessa ist unglaublich interessant. Canessa ist einer der 16 Überlebenden des Uruguayan Air Force Flug 571, der 1972 in den Anden abgestürzt ist. Damals noch Medizinstudent, erzählt Canessa auf ehrliche und fesselnde Art über die Geschehnisse der damaligen Zeit und wie er und 15 andere schlussendlich Wochenlang in den Anden ausharrten bis er und sein Kollege und Freund Nando Parrado schließlich mit letzter Kraft Hilfe holten. Er beschreibt die Rettung, was in ihnen damals vorging sowie das ganze aus Sicht seiner Eltern und damaligen Freundin/heutigen Frau. Der zweite Teil des Buches beschreibt die Zeit seit dem Absturz. Das weitere Medizinstudium und die Zeit als Arzt, die Ausbildung als Pädiatrischer Kardiologe und schließlich verschiedene Patienten die ihm im Gedächtnis geblieben sind. Bis zum Schluss scheint alles was Canessa macht durch den Absturz motiviert. Er hat seitdem das tiefe Gefühl, seinen sozusagen "für ihn" verstorbenen Kollegen des Rugby Teams und deren Angehörigen beweisen zu müssen, dass diese nicht umsonst gestorben sind. Ergreifende Beschreibung, die ich allen empfehlen kann, die in ihrem Leben durch eine harte Zeit gehen und allen, die den Sinn im Leben suchen. Auch Medizinern ist dieses Buch zu empfehlen. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An inspiring testimony *by J***R on 14 April 2016* In 2006, Nando Parrado was the first of the survivors of the 1972 Andes disaster to publish a personal account in English with “Miracle in the Andes”. Now, ten years later, two other accounts have appeared almost simultaneously. Pedro Algorta’s raw and honest ‘Into the Mountains’, and Roberto Canessa’s inspiring “I Had to Survive: How a plane crash in the Andes helped me to save lives”. All three are extraordinary accounts, all completely different, all essential reading. On the mountain, Roberto, with just two years of medical school behind him, was thrown in at the deep end. In impossible conditions with no medical equipment, he had to set broken legs, dress horrendous open wounds, and even performed an operation. And he tended to the injured with tender care (Algorta talks about him being ‘generous with the injured, harsh with the rest of us’). After surviving in desperate conditions for sixty days, constantly facing death, after several abortive attempts to trek out, he set out on that impossible final trek with his friend and rugby teammate Nando that eventually led to the rescue of the others stranded on the mountain. To a large extent Canessa’s life after the Andes has continued in a similar vein. As a renowned paediatric cardiologist in Uruguay, he has taken on the impossible cases, showing the same skill, tenderness, and strength he showed on the mountain to guide the children and their parents along the most difficult paths. Quite horrific cases, cases that everyone has given up on, where survival from one day to the next is uncertain, and death is always close. He has given the families hope were there was none, and one of the inspiring aspects of Canessa’s book is the series of testimonies, so clearly heartfelt, from the families of the children, and in one case from a young lady, given up as impossible case 20 years earlier, who now works at the same hospital as Canessa. Not all the children survived. For me the most inspiring story is that of Tomas who, in his short five years of life, showed more strength of spirit, courage, maturity, and joy of life than most of us could hope for in a lifetime. This is truly inspiring stuff, and I don’t think anyone can read this and not be challenged to reflect on their own life. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.lk/products/268908451-i-had-to-survive-how-a-plane-crash-in-andes](https://www.desertcart.lk/products/268908451-i-had-to-survive-how-a-plane-crash-in-andes) --- *Product available on Desertcart Sri Lanka* *Store origin: LK* *Last updated: 2026-10-25*