ep. 07 - Nando Parrado: Survivor, Hero, Businessman, and NYT Best-Selling Author
From the time the plane crashed on October 13, 1972 until their rescue on December 22, Nando and his fellow Uruguayan rugby teammates were forced to cross both physical and mental boundaries. After waking from a concussion only to learn that his mother had died on impact and his sister was near death, Nando became obsessed with surviving and emerged a hero after he and teammate Roberto Canessa walked for 10 days to find their salvation. Their story of courage, teamwork, determination and leadership, experienced at a level few have known, will leave you with a heightened awareness of the value of human life.
Soon after the rescue of the 16 survivors, Nando worked with Piers Paul Read, the author chosen by the survivors to pen the best-selling bookAlive, which was made into the film of the same name starring Ethan Hawke as Nando.
Nando is the author of the New York Times bestseller Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home. In 2010, Nando was featured in the History Channel documentary I AM ALIVE: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash, which continues to air around the globe.
In the 40 years since the crash, Nando has become a successful businessman and television producer. He is the CEO of four companies and hosts several popular television programs in Uruguay.In his spare time, Nando races motorcycles, sports cars, stock cars and watercraft.