The Choice

A Story of Survival

By: Monte Anderson

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Three friends drove across the Navajo Reservation in northern Arizona after backcountry skiing in Colorado. They talked about their lives, and one said, “I really shouldn’t be alive today.” David Scalia’s astounding story occurred in 1982, but he had a scrapbook documenting everything he told his friends that day. It included photographs, names of doctors who cared for him, newspaper articles, and notes. A scuba equipment failure caused a devastating accident. He suffered incalculable damage to his body for more than 12 grueling hours. Days later, he was given a profound choice — to live or to die. Almost unbelievable, this is his true story.