It’s been a year since pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed a US Airways jet in the river alongside Manhattan after both of the plane’s engines failed, in what people have now dubbed the “miracle on the Hudson.” And for most of the 151 people aboard, the near-death experience has acted as a game changer in their lives.

"I don't worry about stuff anymore,” said passenger Brad Wentzell of Charlotte, N.C.. “There were a lot of things that I used to beat myself up about, things that I couldn't get out of my brain. After what happened, I was able to forgive myself and move on. I actually sleep better now … Sometimes a nice plane crash is exactly what the doctor ordered,” he added.

Mark Hood, also from Charlotte, agreed, telling the New York Daily News that the experience was like “a rebirth.”

"I view the world differently now. When I came out of the door of that plane and took that first breath of cold, clear air, it was a new beginning. The touch of my wife, hugging my kids - all new," he said.

Read "I Saw The Plane Crash!"

For two other passengers, Flight 1549 gave them a chance at love. Ben Bostic and Laura Zych didn’t meet the day of the crash, but after they were introduced six months later at a reunion, the pair began dating.

"Life gives you gifts every single day if you look for them," Bostic said of what he has learned. (NY Daily News)

More News: Tila Tequila will seek custody of Casey Johnson's daughter...

Photo Source