Two sisters who survived a plane crash in their childhood have a message of hope for seven-year-old crash survivor Sailor Gutzler. INSIDE EDITION has the story.
Brave little Sailor Gutzler, the sole survivor of that tragic plane crash that wiped out her entire family, is now receiving a message of comfort from two sisters who know exactly what she's going through.
Diana Montoya was four years old and her sister, Daniela, was a baby when they survived a horrific plane crash.
INSIDE EDITION’s Steven Fabian asked the sisters, “What advice would you have for her now, going forward?”
Diana replied, “To realize there is something good that can come of this, that she can do something magnificent with her life.”
“I don't let it hold me back because life is too short for that,” said Daniela.
See What Other Advice the Sister's Gave Sailor
The sisters somehow made it out alive along with their mom and dad from the twisted wreckage of Avianca Flight 52 when it ran out of fuel and crashed not far from JFK Airport in New York in 1990.
Diana remembered, “One moment I’d fallen asleep in my mother's lap. The next moment it's pitch black and there are people screaming.”
Tears came to Diana’s eyes as she remembered the terrible scene as 73 of the 158 people on board died.
Diana said, “It feels like I cheated death in a way, so it helps me live a little more brightly.”
“I do think about it every day. I have prominent scars all over my body. It's a constant daily reminder,” said Daniela.
Just like the rest of the nation, the sisters are in awe of Sailor's story of survival, how she found herself in the deep woods of Kentucky after the crash but still made a treacherous trek in the pitch black night to find help.
“She's definitely an amazing fighter of a little girl,” said Diana.
Diana is now a doctor, a pediatrician. Daniela works for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Both graduated from prestigious Columbia University. The sisters know that Sailor will always grieve for her family, but they also believe she was spared for a reason.
“Since the crash, all we've done is celebrate life and this feeling of gratitude and the desire to do something with our lives because we were given a second chance,” said Diana.
Click Here To Go To A Website Established In Sailor's Honor
