Experience Description

Well it all started immediately after giving birth to my oldest child who is now almost twelve. I began to hemorrhage due to a portion of the placenta not detaching itself from my uterus. I lay there hemorrhaging for what seemed to be forever. I can only recall bits and pieces of it though due to the tremendous blood loss. I lost six pints. Well my obstetrician decided to take me to the operating room to do a surgical procedure to stop the bleeding. Apparently, something went wrong in surgery. They believe that I vomited and then aspirated it into my lungs. I remember vaguely coming to in the recovery room feeling quite weird. I was having a very hard time catching my breath. I guess nobody in recovery noticed that there was a problem, because they took me on up to my room. Well when I got into the room, I started to feel as if someone was holding saran-wrap over my nose and mouth very tightly. I was suffocating, because my lungs were all filled up with fluid, but they at this time did not know this.

Then suddenly everything went black. The next thing I remember is looking down at all these people hovering over me working with me to breathe with some pattern breather. Almost immediately this door opened up, everything was so bright, and it was beautiful. My grandfather, whom I called Paw Paw, was standing there looking at me with this huge grin on his face. I started to walk towards him, because I wanted to hug him for he had been dead for three years at this time. Well right before I got to this door he said no not now and shut it on me. Then I woke up there on my hospital bed still gasping for every breath. What I had was double acute pneumonia that was from me vomiting during my surgical procedure. I should have been a goner that day, but my Paw Paw told me it wasn't my time. I am very thankful for that, because now I am a twenty-nine year old mother to three wonderful kids. I now look at death with a smile, because I know where I am going, and I know it is a beautiful place. Kind of like a big old family reunion. I want to say that I am glad that there is a place to discuss my brush with death for I have never told my family about this. I guess I think they will think that I am crazy. Well I am not, and I know what happened to me that night. God Bless you all!

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 3-26-90

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-relatedChildbirth post partum hemorrhage, went in for a DNC See main narrative.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Positive

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes Well I was hovering over myself in that hospital room as many doctors and nurses worked on me to help me breathe.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? In and Out.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain I wouldn't say it was a tunnel more like a path to a big door.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes My Paw Paw was there, and he told me to go back, that it wasn't my time.

The experience included: Light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Once the door opened I saw the bright light.

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Happiness.

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe I came to know how fragile we all are, and I came to see what a beautiful place heaven is, because I know that is where I was headed that night.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control I learned not to be afraid of dying, and I so much more appreciate life now.

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will My Paw Paw told me it wasn't time. I was upset because I wanted to hug him, but I am also now thankful to him for turning me back.

God, Spiritual and Religion:


What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate Baptist

What is your religion now? Moderate Baptist

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I now see these shadows all over the place at night and little balls of light that fly all over my room.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Seeing my Paw Paw. There was no bad parts to me.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No