One year ago Autumn Veatch survived a plane crash over the north Cascades and then walked for days to find help, injured and afraid she wouldn't make it. Her story is now a book that she spent the anniversary of the crash signing at a Bellingham Barnes and Noble.
Veatch says she still can’t believe it happened to her but it feels “good” to have shared it. “I didn't really feel like things were going to feel better but I have a little bit of closure with what happened,” she explained.
Veatch signed books alongside Tara Ellis, the woman who put her story on paper “I really wanted to help Autumn reach out to other people.” Ellis originally planned to write a short article about what happened to Autumn but after talking with her, she felt the story here was much bigger than just getting through the plane crash.
“I view her as a survivor, not just from the plane crash but from depression and the other issues, she's discussed very openly with people” Ellis explained.
She has drawn some unlikely fans who say they feel that connection. Bob and Kathy Moore came to the signing “the kind of strength it takes to survive and put yourself against nature and come out of it, I see that in her and I'm amazed.”
Autumn says she has physically healed from what happened but is still rebuilding emotionally. Getting on a plane or even in a car is sometimes hard, but it's getting better.
“It's a cool way to show people that; even if you have mental illness or struggles you can survive the most impossible things,” Veatch said. She still thinks about her step-grandparents who died in the crash, but she knows they would have wanted her to go on.
Veatch’s book is available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble in Bellingham. In the fall, she will start her senior year of high school and hopes to eventually become a hair stylist.
