Amid all of the disaster that has Japan struggling back to its feet an elderly woman was found alive in her home 4 days after the tsunami struck.

The 70-year old woman was found still in her house, which had been washed away in the aftermath of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan 4 days ago. The house was swept away when the tsunami crashed into her home in Iwate Prefecture in Northeastern Japan knocking it off its foundation.

She is suffering from hypothermia but rescue workers report she is stable and hopes to make a full recovery. Rescue workers declined to reveal the woman’s name only saying she was conscious when they found her. Later it was determined that the woman who was rescued is Sai Abe. Her son shared his relief that she was found alive but was still disheartened because his father has still not been located.

With the death toll still unknown in Japan, this was a much needed and welcome bit of news to the devastated citizens and rescue workers working to find other survivors. Japan still struggles to find survivors in the aftermath of this heart-breaking disaster. While 100’s of thousands live without electricity, food or water rescue workers are doing all they can to help locate more survivors like Sai Abe.

Now citizens are dealing with the nuclear threat that the earthquake has caused. Stories like this about a 70-year-old woman who made it against all odds have heartened the people of this destroyed country.