“God gave me a second chance at life, so I just don't want to take it for granted," Jaden Hartley tells PEOPLE

Toni Bravo was 20 years old and a junior at the University of Notre Dame when she had an anxiety attack before finals. It turned out to be pancreatic cancer

“I always want to help people,” says Eve Alden, 41

LAFD Captain Jerry Puga lost his home in the Eaton Fire — as did his firefighter son, his daughter and her boyfriend, who also works for the department

“We know how precious and how short life can be," says Zechariah Harris, who proposed to Kyra Edwards two days before Valentine's Day

Lindsey Fields had her first date with her husband over Valentine’s Day weekend in 2016, and they went on to welcome a daughter, now 3, her cousin tells PEOPLE

“When you get a second chance at life, you learn not to waste it,” says Christine Paul

On Thursday, Jan. 9, Magnus Miller was playing in a tournament basketball game when he leaped into action after a player on the opposing team collapsed

Taylor Hammons, 23, tells PEOPLE that his late uncle, Casey Crafton, had taught him to build cars throughout the years

Sgt. Tommy Lazzaro never should have died like this: Now, his family shares memories of the big-hearted "warrior" and "protector" who was "taken too early"

“There's nothing more important in this world than love. And we had a lot of it,” Andy Beyer says of his wife Justyne and daughter Brielle

“God took two of the dearest things I had away from me,” Andrey Ter tells PEOPLE

Olesya Taylor and her 12-year-old daughter Olivia were among the 67 people who died in the D.C. plane crash

Peter Livingston, his wife Donna and their daughters Alydia and Everly were coming home from an ice skating trip and were on the plane that crashed

Ian Epstein's ex-wife, Debi Epstein tells PEOPLE why he switched shifts, which put him on the American Airlines flight that crashed on Wednesday, Jan. 29

Vitali Kay described Yulia and Sean as “role models” while speaking exclusively to PEOPLE on Feb. 2

“I can't even do her justice. I can't even speak about how amazing she is,” Sarah Best's sister Jessica Haynes tells PEOPLE

Melissa Nicandri, 28, was a big Swiftie and someone who was "a great friend to a lot of people," her father said in an emotional interview

On Wednesday, a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger plane, killing 67 people

Ted Boyke says his late friend Peter Livingston always "put his family first." Peter, his wife Donna and their daughters all died in the collision