Experience Description

Prior to the experience, I had a collapsed lung, so the doctors put a chest tube in. My lung collapsed again, only this time it was 75%. They told me I had two options; one was to open me up with a major operation or else they could try an experimental procedure where they would try to fuse the blebs around my lung and thereby fixing the air leaks. It was my birthday when I chose to opt for the tetracycline procedure (fusing the pulmonary blebs) on April 9th. The tetracycline was delivered via a chest tube that was already in place. I was told to keep turning to swish the liquid around my chest. No matter how painful it gets, keep turning my body back and forth. I did and it was the most excruciatingly painful experience of my entire life, and I'm 50 years old now. After about 5 turns, I couldn't take the pain any longer. I kept screaming for God and Jesus throughout the pain, because it was truly unbearable.

I felt myself let go and accept my pain. I immediately felt a warm feeling with no pain whatsoever. The way to describe it is when coming out of a cold ocean and walking into the sun on the beach. My body was so warm. I felt immediate comfort. I had the faith of a child seeing his Dad as if I had never left him at all. I saw him and he spoke to me, telling me that I wasn't supposed to be home with him yet. He spoke like a Dad, warm and tender but with authority. We were so happy to see each other again. I don't remember the conversation, but I do recall him saying I need to go, and I didn't want to go. I cried. He comforted me back to my body as I cried to stay with him. The one I speak of is the Son of God himself. He has many names, but I know him as Jesus.

When I awoke I was still crying and overwhelmed, but I had very little pain if at all. The pulmonologist came in and said they almost lost me. I turned white as the sheets, and went lifeless. They called a code blue.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: April 1992

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Spontaneous Pneumothorax X2 that would not heal the second time. So they used an experimental procedure by injected tetracycline in my blebs. They called a Code Blue and said they almost lost me.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I clearly left my body and existed outside it

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? More consciousness and alertness than normal. Heightened alertness and consciousness.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Believe me when I tell you that the pain was so severe that I was awake and alert.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning. God's time is not our time. I felt there wasn't a time, just an existence.

Were your senses More vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Normal

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Normal

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere, as if by ESP? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Brighter than the Sun, but I can see his face.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm Heaven

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Comforting

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Incredible joy

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? No

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a definite conscious decision to return to life I was told to go back

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain Jesus once said, Blessed are they who have never seen me, yet they believe.

What is your religion now? Christian- Other Christian

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience. Consistent meaning the same? If so I don't understand the question. I can try to though. I always believed in God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin. The Son of God, Jesus.

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

Did you 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. Only Jesus, the name I know of him, but he has a few other names.

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? Yes I cannot describe. It was a reunion is all I can say.

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes In Heaven we are all alike as if we are one in the same, but not. We have a unity.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes The existence of God is more realistic than the pain I was suffering from.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes My experience is and of itself special knowledge, at least I think so.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Uncertain I think so but not sure.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? An afterlife definitely exists. It's a realistic existence of oneself like never encountered on Earth.

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? Uncertain I can't recall

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? Uncertain I think so but I'm not certain.

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes Love Conquers all, even death, but sometimes we have an experience such as mine because of the Love God has for all of us. He knows our future and those who benefit by our presence here on Earth, even for a moment's time, or chance to take part in helping someone is Love on and of itself.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes Loving, caring, compassionate.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes It's hard to describe what you can't remember. I can't describe the conversation I had, but only the experience.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I do not know how my remembrance of the experience compares to my remembrance of other life events. I can acurately remember the pain was real, but my experience which was unearthly was more realistic and accurate by the knowledge of place and time. I believe when I saw Jesus, it was as if I never left him. It was as if I belonged with him, as we all do.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Knowing things

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? A sense of overwhelming nostalgia

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Uncertain. A very long time. Only my Parents. They were uncertain or afraid. They were influenced by the hope and faith that God really is there for us after life, but in my case, in the midst of life and death.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. When someone is in so much agonizing pain like I was and then it's gone, it's a sense of completion. It's like you've made it, and you now have to live your according to what God expected you to live until you are reunited once again.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. Reality again huh? I now view my experience as reality because the reality of what happened to me exists as the day it happened. Without it, I don't believe I would have reached 50.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes. My five children were born.