BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. -- Tillie Tooter, a woman who became famous because of her amazing survival story, says that the near-death experience only served to make her life better.

"You have to remember that life is for the living. Take whatever you can," Tooter said. "You have to believe in miracles. Miracles do happen. I'm living proof of that."

Five years ago, on Aug. 15, 2000, Tillie Tooter's car was rear-ended by another vehicle and it plummeted 40 feet off an Interstate 595 ramp into a mangrove swamp.

The other car was driven by Scott Campbell, then 22 years old. He was two weeks later and eventually confessed to causing the wreck.

While rescuers searched for the missing 83-year-old grandmother, she sustained herself for three days, trapped in her wrecked car with nothing but a cough drop, a peppermint, and a piece of gum. She collected enough rainwater in a steering wheel cover to keep herself alive. She said she sucked on a button to keep her mouth moist.

She also said she spent a lot of time praying.

"At the time they found me, I was in the last stages," Tooter said. "I was dying. I made my peace with God. I accepted all this -- but you know, there's always that last bit of hope."

Tillie was rescued after Justin Vanelli, a teenager working on a road crew, spotted her car.

"I was reborn," she said. "One more day and I would have been gone."

Archive Slideshow: The Rescue

Campbell finally formally apologized to Tooter in 2002. After listening to his apology, Tooter said, "I hope that you have learned a lesson from this. I feel deeply sorry for your mother because I'm sure you broke her heart. But I will pay for the rest of my life … I just hope that you will make a good life for yourself."

Campbell was given probation for hitting Tooter's car and leaving her in the swamp.

In 2004, Campbell was sentenced to four years in jail for a drunken driving probation violation.

Tooter suffered a ruptured disc in her neck and painful arm injuries in the wreck. She still suffers from chronic pain and has to use a walker.

Although she says that even for a million dollars she wouldn't choose to go through the experience again, she says, "My whole life changed -- all to the good."

Because of the story of her amazing survival and resilience, she became a South Florida celebrity, appearing on network news programs and becoming a widely loved example of unwavering spirit. Thousands of people wrote her letters.

"People are wonderful," Tooter said. "They still stop me on the street. They stop me in department stores -- so much love pouring out. There's no way to describe it."

Now, she has a message to share.

"(I) try to give back that love to all the people. I'm trying to do whatever I can to give people hope and inspiration," Tooter said. "I tell people that life is worth living. There's a lot to give."

When asked what she plans for the future, the 88-year-old said, "If I can help people -- bring pleasure, if I can … Just because you're old doesn't mean you have to bury yourself. There is so much to be done."

"It's a wonderful life. Make the most of it ... Grab every minute of joy that you can," Tooter said.