A woman who managed to survive the Boxing Day tsunami thanks to an extreme stroke of luck proceeded to cheat death another three times.
Ani Naqvi, now 52, was visiting a friend in Sri Lanka when the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami struck, killing at least 230,000 people, including 149 Brits, and leaving the Londoner fighting “tooth and nail” to survive. Twenty years later, Ani is sharing her story, revealing that this was the first of multiple near-death incidents she’s had to face.
Transformation expert Ani had been napping in her hut when the wave struck, and remembers to this day how “the door flung open and water began to flood in.”
Ani revealed: “Within a millisecond, I was underwater, drowning and fighting for my life. I was tumbling around like a grain of rice in a washing machine in a pitch-black, thundering, swirling mass of water. This was the first time I thought I was going to die.
“My life flashed before my eyes; I didn’t want to die, so I fought tooth and nail to stay alive. Eventually, the hut disintegrated with the force of the wave, which was a blessing as now I could see where the sunlight was and realised I was upside down in the hut.
“The force of the wave was so strong it ripped off all my clothes and jewellery. My eardrums burst from the pressure, and I was injured from all the debris in the room. I was washed inland with the tsunami and other bodies, most dead around me, and was luckily thrown into the path of a tree which I held on for dear life and saved my life.”
She then almost got caught in a second wave but thankfully managed to reach higher ground with the help of some locals. Ani recalled: “I gave first aid to survivors. But I was also injured; I had suffered cuts, bruises and gashes, mostly on my legs and arms, but also, one whole side of my face had been scrapped off as I was trapped under a falling building face first.
“I helped everyone I could make camp for the night, took a register of survivors and tried to create a running order of evacuation based on people’s injuries until the morning”.
Branding the day that followed as “bedlam”, Ani continued: “Fit and healthy people rushed those first few choppers, but eventually, we managed to get the sick on board. I ended up taking the last chopper of the day out to Arugam Bay after all those who wanted to be airlifted out had been.”
Ani remained in Sri Lanka until New Year’s Eve, at which point she finally managed to get a plane ticket home. She said: “To see the devastation was unbelievable. It looked like the world had ended, pure armageddon, everything upside down, smashed to smithereens, death and destruction everywhere. It was out of this world. I couldn’t believe it at first.”
The tragedy also affected surrounding countries, including Indonesia, India, the Maldives, Thailand, and parts of East Africa. Looking back on her ordeal, Ani regards herself as fortunate to be alive, but this wasn’t the only time she’s cheated death. Six years later, she came perilously close to the end once more after doctors discovered cancerous cells in her left breast.
Thankfully doctors were able to treat the cancer, which returned twice in the years that followed. Then, in 2014, Ani was given some devastating news – the cancer had spread and reached stage four. As well as undergoing two lumpectomies to remove the tumours in her left breast, Ani also had the lymph nodes removed from her underarms and underwent a course of radiotherapy.
Ani said: “Having survived a tsunami but then being faced with death a further three times, I believe that all those experiences were given to me as blessings in disguise to help me set on to the right path in life. I feel incredibly lucky to have had so many near-death experiences, as I know for a fact that death is not the end, merely a transition.
“Before these experiences, I had struggled with depression, anxiety and the usual ups and downs of life. I didn’t understand the point of life and had all the trappings of external success, but none of those things made me truly happy. Now I do something I love and make a positive impact in the world by transforming the lives of my clients.”
The cancer news still proved to be an enormous shock, however. Ani said: “I had experienced long-term depression and suicide ideation thoughts on and off for many years, so I was shocked to be diagnosed in my 30’s. Deep down inside, I wasn’t.
“But my intuition told me I had brought this into my life through my negative thoughts and that it would be a five-year journey, but then I would be ok, and it was spot on. Shortly after, friends told me that I was full of grace, as I seemed to move into a place of calm and wisdom.
“However, there were mostly very difficult and stressful years ahead. So yes I was devastated, shocked and terrified but it all turned out for the best in the end. As much as the diagnoses were heartbreaking, I decided to look at them as a challenge. It’s always so strange to think about cheating death so many times. But I think life only gives you as much as you can take. And I knew I could take this.”
Ani has fortunately been in remission since 2014, and continues to undergo six-month scans to monitor the cells. She explained: “I had to have all of these experiences to understand that we are more than just a mind and body. I feel blessed and lucky to have survived. But it also feels normal to me, as all of them have made me who I am today. I am still in remission and don’t have any cancer.
“My life has never been better. Some of my friends joke with me about how I am a disaster magnet. My husband and family are just happy that I’m alive. Do I worry about the future? Not really, we’re all going to die at some point. I am very optimistic and positive, I’m very happy and content.”
It was in the course of her cancer journey that Ani met her now husband, Andrea Barra, 47, an osteopath. Ani shared: “We are truly happy. He has been there for me every step of the way.”
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
