You never quite know what life is going to throw at you. It seems as if we sometimes run in circles and people we meet in the past can come back to meet us in the future without warning. That includes those who we may have passed by without any consideration and they end up saving our lives.

A soldier came to this realization when he was on a fundraising training activity with his old platoon. A pilot approached him on the plane and, as it turns out, he was someone who had his life saved by that person years ago.

Cpl. Todd Love stepped on an IED in 2010 and lost the lower half of his body. He was on tour in Afghanistan a year after he became a Marine. His assignment was to the 1st Recon Battalion and he was picked up by helicopter.

It was a frightening experience, to say the least. There was an ongoing firefight when the pilot picked him up and got him out alive. When he woke up after several operations, he needed more time to recuperate. The good news was, he survived.

There were many obstacles that Todd had to overcome. He had the support of his family, his experiences in life and is training to help him to carry on. When he was back on United States soil, he didn’t even want to look at his injuries. Slowly but surely, he began to accept his situation.

Todd wrote:

“I think my gratitude for everything is what calmed my suffering the most.”

Nine years later he was able to tour the country and go on many adventures. He turned his disability into a strength and an advantage. Sharing his story with other people made it easier for him to cope and it was only by willpower that he was able to make it to that point.

“Its humbling to know that these people are from many walks of life, each practicing their profession, from different nationalities, skin tones, and belief systems as well. All I know is I owe them my life.”

He was flying to Oregon one day for a fundraising training. At Denver, he had a layover and a commercial flight pilot approached him.

Capt. Marc Vincequere asked him if he was deployed in Afghanistan and when he had his tour. Todd thought that something might have been up but he still answered the question. The airline pilot then informed him that he was the same pilot that took him out by helicopter during the firefight.

Todd couldn’t believe that someone who was responsible for saving his life that day was standing right in front of him.

They had a great reunion, took a picture together and Todd felt the need to share the story online. Needless to say, it went viral for all the right reasons.