Glenda G's Father's NDE

  Edited for clarity by Judy Shea 8/4/12

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

My dad, Sherman G, had been diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and had his right kidney removed. Roughly a year later, the cancer returned and this time it showed up as a large tumor wrapped around his spine mid-back. 

During surgery, the surgeon cut an artery and my Dad bled to death. Two days later, my dad (who was not religious at all) told me that he had felt his spirit come out of his body and he felt that he was about 3 feet parallel with his body. He had looked down, and wasn't afraid to see what was going on. He then became vertical and found himself standing to the left of the doctor at his physical body's head. The nurses and attendants were running around getting instruments to try to get the bleeding to stop. While telling me this story, up to this point, my Dad had had a far away look in his eyes, but then he paused and told me that he could tell me the names of the instruments the doctors and nurses were using, because he could remember every detail of his journey.  

He watched the commotion for awhile and then he took a few steps backward into the corner of the operating room, as if to give the medical staff room to work. As he was standing in the corner, he then found himself going into another consciousness of himself feeling the pain of being born, of going through his mother's birth canal. And he told me that that was the worst pain he had ever felt. He asked me if I remembered that he was claustrophobic and I replied, "Yes, I remember." He said, "Well, now I know why I have been claustrophobic."  He went on, "When I was 3 years old, we lived on an old farm. I was standing in my overalls and barefooted, in the kitchen, next to Mama. Mama told me that she had been missing two hens and thought they were up in the loft of the barn. She told me to go to the barn, climb the ladder, and if I found her two hens, to shoo them out and bring any eggs I might find. I told her, 'Yes, Ma'am." So I climbed the ladder. Up in the loft the loose hay was almost as tall as I was, but I saw the hens, made my way over to them and shooed them out of the loft. I even found two eggs. I proudly put them in my overall pockets, but when I tried to get to the ladder, my foot got tangled up in some rope. When I yanked my foot to try to get loose, it just tightened.

I felt myself backing up into something big and heavy. It fell on top of me and pushed me down under the tall, dirty hay, where I felt like I couldn't breathe. I yelled and yelled as loud as I could, but my brothers didn't come to my rescue for what seemed like hours to my three-year-old self.  "And," he said, "now I know why I'm claustrophobic." 

He then told me another story. He said, "Sis, I never knew how much my words have hurt people. When I was about nine, I was throwing dirt clods at my cousin, Luther. We started calling each other names and we both thought it was funny to hurt each other. But while I was dead, I not only heard myself call him names, but I was also in his head HEARING the words I was saying to him and feeling how they affected him. I made him feel real bad, but I never realized it. I never even thought about it. I have heard every conversation I ever said to anybody, and I was also given the gift of being in every single person's mind to know how I've hurt people by what I've said. He apologized to me (through his tears) for making fun of me as a child for stuttering so badly. I never told him that he had made me cry as a child, but he said now he knows every time it happened,  because he had been able to be in my mind during his NDE. 

He said he also remembered all the times when he chose not to forgive people for something they did or said to him. 

From that experience, he said, he came back to watching the medical staff work on his body attempting to revive him. As he watched, he said, he started drifting vertically up. The operating room is on the first floor. He went through the ceiling and stood across from the elevator. To the left of the elevator was "another one" just like him. It was a middle aged man. They nodded to each other and Dad proceeded to go up to the next floor. He kept going up and up into the darkness of space.  

In the far distance, he saw what looked like a small area of green fog. His spirit turned horizontal and started moving towards it until it formed into a meadow with wild flowers and small trees. It was bright daylight. He was thinking, "This must be Heaven and I'm here because I've tried to be good to people. But then he started moving faster until the meadow was left behind him in a blur. As he looked ahead, he saw what looked like the Grand Canyon, but instead of the end of it being an open-ended river bed, it was round and surrounded by huge brown boulders. He was no longer near the beauty of the meadow. He  found himself out in the middle of the boulders floating over a great expanse of blackness below. He couldn't see the bottom – looking down, all he could see was a huge black hole. As he was wondering what was going on, he began to hear a sound like the wind. This wind got louder until it sounded like high pitched screams. One voice stood out, and he heard from below someone pleading..."Please! When you come, bring me a drop of water!" Then he knew that he had been tricked by Satan into thinking he was going to be in Heaven. Instead, he was on his way to hell because he didn't know Jesus as his Savior.  But right at that time, the doctors brought him back to life. 

None of our family knew that Dad had died until the following day. I went to see him in ICU at the hospital. The anesthesiologist was standing by Dad's side, saying to me that he had wanted to come check on his patient. He said to me, "They did tell you we lost him yesterday, didn't they?" I was shocked and said, "No!" He told me about the surgeon hitting an artery and that Dad had bled to death. He also said that he was clinically dead for twelve minutes and very lucky to be alive. While trying to soak all of this in, I turned to Dad. He had tubes in his nose and mouth, but he opened his eyes and started crying. I asked him if he was hurting and he shook his head. I asked him if he needed to tell me something and he nodded. I reassured him that maybe tomorrow, he would be able to tell me. 

The next day, I went to see him in his private room. When he saw me, he started crying again. Up until this time, I had never seen my dad cry – never.  Not even when his parents died or when he found out he had cancer. I went over to his bedside and he said he had a story to tell me. When he finished telling me (what I've written above,) he said that he had led his life all wrong and he now knew that Jesus was his Savior and no longer would he have bitterness in his heart.  We had him for two more years, but I believe those were the best years of his life. 

At the time of his experience was there an associated life-threatening event?   Yes.  He had renal cell carcinoma, which metastasized to his spine. 

Was the experience difficult for him to express in words?      I am a Christian and it was easy for him to explain it to me. He tried to explain it to my mother and my siblings, but no one believed him and they dismissed the story, saying that he had been medicated and had he had not had enough oxygen in his brain. He knew I believed him, so he told me the whole story. 

At what time during the experience was he at his highest level of consciousness and alertness?    It sounded like he was completely alert for the full twelve minutes.   

How did his highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to his normal everyday consciousness and alertness?      More consciousness and alertness than normal.   My Dad was a friendly, easy going, but competitive, guy whose goal was to make as much money as he could. Spiritual matters didn't interest him. 

Please compare his vision during the experience to his everyday vision that he had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   From what he described, he saw beautiful colors during his vision. Beautiful trees, meadows, flowers & the Grand Canyon. His sense of touch was also intensified (while being born.) 

Please compare his hearing during the experience to his everyday hearing that he had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   Very acute hearing, from the words he heard himself say to every single person he had talked to in his life and also the words that were in the minds or spirits of those people he had said the words to. 

Did he see or hear any earthly events that were occurring during a time that his consciousness / awareness was apart from his physical / earthly body?   Yes.   He saw the doctors/nurses trying to put enough blood back into him to save his life. He also saw another spirit of a man who had just died. 

What emotions did he feel during the experience?   Joy to be in his mother's kitchen. Fear when the barn door fell on top of him. Sadness when he realized how much he had hurt people. Remorse knowing that most of those people had already died so he couldn't make it up to them. Peace when he saw the meadows. Vanity thinking he made it to Heaven just by trying to be nice to people as an adult. Panic when he thought he was going to hell.    

Did he pass into or through a tunnel?   Uncertain.   He didn't mention a tunnel. 

Did he see an unearthly light?   Yes.   It was an area of green fog in space. 

Did he seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice?   He encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin.

He heard sounds and voices from the pit of hell. 

Did he encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)?   Yes.   He felt that when he realized that he was going to hell, that Satan was laughing at him over his left shoulder, as if to say that he (Satan) got one last trick in on my dad. 

Did he encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings?   Yes.   The way he described the man by the elevator – it was not someone he knew, but they had death in common. It was as if they tipped their hats while passing on the street. 

Did he become aware of past events in his life during his experience?   Yes.   Being born, the barn incident, making fun of his cousin by calling him bad names, making fun of me stuttering.

Did he seem to enter some other, unearthly world?   Yes, he saw green meadows with flowers and trees, and the huge boulders that reminded him of the Grand Canyon, and the dark hole below it. 

Did time seem to speed up or slow down?   

While he was standing in the corner at the hospital, he said that everything went by quickly, but he remembered every detail. There were times when he was "flying" more slowly and more quickly than at other times. 

Did he suddenly seem to understand everything?   Yes, so much about himself, and also about how others felt when talking with him.

And when he was flying over the meadows, he seemed to think that he had confirmation that if you tried hard enough to be good when you're an adult, it erases any bad you did as a kid. Then when he found out he was going to hell, in a split second, he realized that without a real relationship with the Lord, that Satan will use every trick he has to keep you out of Heaven. 

Did he reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?   Yes.

The pleasant trip came to a sudden halt at the gate of hell. 

Did he come to a border or point of no return?   No.

Not sure how to answer this one. He knows/ knew that if the doctors hadn't been able to get enough blood into him at just that right time, he was going down into the pit, and he had felt terrified. 

Did scenes from the future come to him?  No   

During his experience, did he encounter any specific information / awareness suggesting that there either is (or is not) continued existence after earthly life (“life after death”)?   Yes.   When he saw the meadows with all of their  beauty, he thought that God had made this just for him as a reward for trying to be good. 

During his experience, did he encounter any specific information / awareness that God or a supreme being either does (or does not) exist?   Yes.   When he heard the people in hell screaming for water, he then believed that there truly is a hell and if there is a hell, then there must be a heaven and if there is a hell and a heaven, then there must be a Satan and a God. 

During his experience, did he encounter any specific information / awareness that he either did (or did not) exist prior to this lifetime?   No    

During his experience, did he encounter any specific information / awareness that a mystical universal connection or unity/oneness either does (or does not) exist?   Yes.   When he was in space, he felt a calmness. When he came up and up out of the hospital, he reached a point when he stopped and looked ahead. When he saw the green fog, he was both curious and felt that that was where he was supposed to be. That it was going to be his final place to live. 

During his experience, did he encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life’s meaning or purpose?   Yes.    

During his experience, did he encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life’s difficulties, challenges, or hardships?   Uncertain.    

During his experience, did he encounter any specific information / awareness regarding love?   Yes.   My dad was friendly with people other than his family.  But at home, he wanted to be left alone.  With customers (he owned several travel agencies) he was outgoing and friendly. After his NDE, he was a lot more loving with his family. 

During his experience, did he encounter any other specific information / awareness that you have not shared in other questions that is relevant to living our earthly lives?   Yes.   Forgive others and don't be afraid to show people that you love them. 

Did he have a sense of knowing special knowledge or purpose?   Uncertain. He knew he wanted the forgiveness of people that he had hurt.     

What occurred during his experience included:   Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs he had at the time of his experience.    

How accurately do you think he remembered the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience?   I think he remembered the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of his experience.  Since my dad and I had not shared a lot of conversation normally, for him to give me so many details about this experience, is a treasure to me. I had never seen the kind of light in his eyes as when he told me what happened to him.  

Discuss any changes that might have occurred in his life after his experience:   In the above questions, I answered the questions with what I knew about my dad. Since he passed away in November 2006, I can only imagine, but I do know that he is in Heaven.  After his experience, Dad tried to talk to us more about the things in life that really mattered, such as loving each other unconditionally, forgiveness and taking care of each other. 

His experience directly resulted in:   Large changes in his life. 

Did he have any changes in your values or beliefs after the experience that occurred as a result of the experience?   Yes.   More loving and forgiving. 

Were there one or several parts of his experience that were especially meaningful or significant to him?   He learned the truth about how to get into Heaven. 

Did he have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after his experience that he did not have before the experience?   I don't think so.  

Are there one or several parts of his experience that were especially meaningful or significant to him?    That he learned the truth about how to get into Heaven.  

Had he ever shared this experience with others?   Yes.  Two days after the NDE. First with me and then a few days later, he tried to share his story with my mom (his wife) and my two siblings. No one else believed him. They thought it was creepy to talk about it and they didn't seem to want to understand it, which was very sad for him. 

Had he had any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to his experience?   No, I'm pretty sure he hadn't.  If he'd heard anyone talk about it, he would not have paid any attention.    

What did he believe about the reality of his experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:   He seemed to have no doubt that the experience was definitely real.    

What do you believe about the reality of his experience at the current time:    I believe that his experience was definitely real.   Dad has passed on, but he always believed so, too.  

Had his relationships changed specifically as a result of his experience?    Yes they had. Afterwards, Dad tried to talk to us more about the things in life that really mattered, such as loving each other unconditionally, forgiveness and taking care of each other. 

Had his religious beliefs/spiritual practices changed specifically as a result of his experience?   Yes.   He became a Christian after he died the first time.  What a gift! 

At any time in his life, had anything ever reproduced any part of the experience?   No.       

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?   Yes