Episode 144: The Ice Miracle - Jean Hilliard

Episode 144: The Ice Miracle - Jean Hilliard

From The Dark Oak by Just Us Gals Productions

March 11, 2026 · 56 min · Episode 152

About this episode

The episode recounts the miraculous survival of Jean Hilliard after being frozen in the snow for hours.

In December 1980, 19-year-old Jean Hilliard from Lengby, Minnesota, slid her car into a ditch on an icy rural road during a bitterly cold night with temperatures at -22°F. She decided to walk about two miles to a friend's house for help but collapsed unconscious in the snow just 15 feet from the door, where she lay exposed and frozen solid for six to seven hours. The next morning, rancher Wally Nelson discovered her rigid body—described as hard as a log, with frozen-open eyes and no detectable vital signs—and rushed her to the local hospital, where doctors initially thought she was dead. Miraculously, after slow warming with heating pads and community prayers, she revived within hours, made a full recovery with no amputations or lasting damage, and went on to live a normal life, leaving medical experts baffled by her survival. Branch of Hope: https://www.dareformore.org/ In 2012, Reba Bowman, founder of Dare for More, traveled to the Dominican Republic to speak at a women's event. What she witnessed there forever changed her—and the direction of the ministry.She saw firsthand the devastating plight of women and girls in places where toxic cultural norms treat them as disposable…

Topics covered

  • survival
  • true crime
  • miraculous recovery
  • human interest
  • cold weather incidents

Keywords

  • Jean Hilliard
  • Wally Nelson
  • Dare for More
  • survival story
  • cold weather
  • Minnesota
  • 1980

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dare for More

Places: Lengby, Minnesota

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