Experienced yet unprepared for what came next, Joan faced the unimaginable when her main parachute failed to deploy.
As she spiraled downwards, Joan quickly deployed her backup parachute, only to find it tangled.
Joan raced towards the earth at 80 miles per hour, her situation grew dire, challenging the very limits of human survival.
Joan's plummet ended on a mound of fire ants. Unconscious from the impact yet awakened by over 200 painful stings.
The ants' venom unexpectedly spurred a life-saving adrenaline rush.
Paramedics found Joan critically injured but alive, thanks to the bizarre intervention of the ant stings.
Joan’s recovery was nothing short of grueling. Enduring 17 blood transfusions and 20 surgeries, she overcame severe physical trauma.
Against all odds, Joan returned to skydiving just two years later, embracing the very sport that nearly claimed her life.