There’s a scientific explanation to just about everything in life. Many things that people often think of as “miracles,” such as the likeness of Jesus on burned toast or sudden rainstorms relieving a drought-stricken town, can be understood once you have your facts straight.

That’s not to say that such things aren’t special or shouldn’t be appreciated, though. It also doesn’t mean that we necessarily know the explanation to everything, especially when it comes to “medical miracles.”

That was certainly the case with 19-year-old Jean Hilliard in 1980. While driving home from a friend’s house, Jean suffered a terrible accident that subjected her to the cruel winter cold. Any reasonable person would have assumed that she’d died. That’s when something happened that even doctors couldn’t explain!

While driving home from a friend’s house in Lengby, Minnesota, one frigid winter night on December 20, 1980, 19-year-old Jean Hilliard’s car suddenly skidded on ice and the young woman landed in a ditch. Obviously, the situation was dire, but her story wasn’t over yet.


These were the days before cell phones, after all, so Jean had no way of calling for help. It’s difficult for many people today to realize just how much of a literal lifesaver this kind of technology can be when we need it.


Instead of waiting for someone to drive by on that isolated road, Jean decided her best bet was to trek the remaining two miles to a friend’s house nearby. It was a huge risk, but at that time, it really seemed like her only option…


She was really in a lose-lose situation, since there was no way of knowing when—or if—help would ever arrive. As it was, the freezing conditions could affect her, or even kill her, if she didn’t manage to stay warm.


Her decision turned out to be a big mistake: mere minutes after Jean started her risky journey, the bitter cold started to take its toll on her body. She managed to reach the friend’s driveway after trudging in the snow and against the wind, but it was too late. Jean collapsed right then and there…


When Jean was discovered by her friend the next morning, her body had already become frozen solid. She had spent six whole hours in -22°F weather. One could only imagine how shocked and horrified her friend must have been to find the poor teen.


Just about anyone would have guessed that she had developed hypothermia and lost her life by freezing to death. Indeed, that’s exactly what would have happened to most people in the very same situation as Jean, but this was not the case!


Jean was rushed to the hospital, even though there didn’t seem to be much of a chance for her to make it. Her body was so stiff that there was no spot on her body where doctors could place a stethoscope or even check for a pulse. Still, her doctors had no idea what they were in for…

Miraculously, Jean survived her ordeal, and doctors were able to revive her. Just look at her now! Though many years have passed, and she went through an experience that had to have been traumatic, she really does seem to be doing great. Hopefully nothing like that ever happens to her again.


It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume that Jean thinks about her life quite differently now that she had such a near-death experience. She has to know how lucky she is just to be alive, so hopefully she’s making the best of it!


According to scientists who researched the incident, the only explanation for what happened is that her body froze solid so quickly, that the freezing process did not have time destroy her body’s cells. In fact, she didn’t even suffer from frostbite.

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