Christopher W NDE

Experience Description

We lived in Vail, Colorado, on the side of a ski hill, in a three-story mountain cabin. My dad worked for Vail Resorts and was an avid skier. My mom took me to school every day on skis, with me tucked into a wedge shape in front of her. That was my early introduction to skiing, and I ultimately learned to ski before I could walk. I was an adventurous kid, and for reasons I still cannot explain, I decided one day to walk along the narrow railing of our top-floor sun deck. I can barely remember the moments leading up to it, but I vividly remember every detail of what happened afterward. For about five years following the accident, I had recurring nightmares that caused me to wake in cold sweats while reliving the fall. Something caused me to slip on that railing, most likely ice, and I fell three stories headfirst into our basement cement stairwell. Fortunately, a guest staying with us opened the basement door just in time to break my fall, although the edge of the door sliced my head open in the process. Without that intervention, I would almost certainly not be here today.

After my parents were notified, they rushed me in our VW Bug to the emergency room at Denver General Hospital. I remember feeling extremely cold as they examined me on a metal table and later during the X-rays. Although I was not conscious in the typical physical sense and was not awake or visually aware, I could still hear everything happening around me, including the movement of doctors and nurses and my mother’s frantic worry. I do not recall my father being there, although he must have been. My near-death experience began while I was on the X-ray table at the moment my heart stopped.

At first, I remember the cold, clinical feel of the metal table beneath me, whether it was the operating table or the X-ray table. That sensation stayed with me for about half of the experience, along with feelings of fear. Then something unexpected happened. Like many others who have described similar experiences, I found my consciousness floating above the exam table, looking down at my body as the doctors worked. My perception was limited, almost like tunnel vision, focused mainly on myself. After hovering there briefly, whether for seconds or minutes, I cannot say, I began rising upward through multiple floors of the hospital. Throughout this ascent, I continued to see myself with remarkable clarity, as though I were looking through increasingly powerful binoculars. Even as I moved farther away, my body appeared the same size and distance in my awareness, which is difficult to explain but became clearer as the experience continued.

Suddenly, I found myself far above the Earth, surrounded by what appeared to be a tunnel of light. At the same time, I could still see my body on the operating table, as though one part of my awareness remained connected to that scene while another experienced what felt like a physical journey, though I now understand it as metaphysical. It felt physical because I remained intensely aware of sensations such as coldness, fear, uncertainty, and helplessness. However, this did not last long. Gradually, I began to feel warmth enveloping me, like the comforting heat of a fire in winter, along with a profound sense of safety and belonging. Even as I seemed to be millions of miles from Earth, I could still see both the planet and my body on the table through that same dual awareness.

Around this time, I began to understand what was happening. A sense of wisdom came over me, as though I had access to universal knowledge while still somehow remaining a child. It was the most profound moment of my life up to that point. Although I did not fully understand what would happen next, I felt deeply at peace. I recall having an internal dialogue about the meaning and purpose of life, as if I possessed the insight and empathy of someone far older and wiser, particularly in relation to my family. My awareness seemed to remain in this state for some time before the most significant moment of the experience occurred.

As I reflected with this heightened understanding, I felt the presence of a being embrace me with overwhelming warmth, compassion, and love. These feelings are still nearly impossible to describe even after a lifetime of reflection. I did not see a physical form or face, but I felt completely surrounded by this presence. It brought a deep sense of safety and happiness. Then something shifted. I became aware of a voice in my mind, though I cannot recall its tone or whether it was male or female. The voice communicated clearly and presented me with a choice, emphasizing my free will.

I was told that I had an important decision to make that was simple yet deeply impactful for those who loved me on Earth. I could remain in this place, free from pain and filled with eternal safety, happiness, and love, or I could return to Earth and continue my life with my family. For a four-year-old, it was an enormous decision, yet in that moment of clarity and understanding, I felt completely at peace with my choice. As I made it, my awareness shifted back to that of a young child. I responded simply by saying that I needed my mom and that I wanted to live and play. These words reflected exactly what a child would feel. Almost immediately after that, my physical body awakened. I opened my eyes, sat up in my hospital bed, startled my mother, and asked where I was and what had happened.

What surprised me later was learning that I had been in a coma for about a month. In my experience, it felt as though only moments had passed between my decision and waking up. It seems that my near-death experience occurred earlier and that my body required time to heal before I regained consciousness. I can only conclude that this timing allowed me to return in a way that aligned perfectly with being reunited with my mother. I remember reassuring her that I was okay and then asking about our dog, Cinnamon, which shows how quickly I returned to the simple concerns of childhood.

Medically, I was later told that the trauma to my head was severe. Doctors were unsure whether I would regain my vision because my eyes were swollen shut, and they were concerned about potential brain damage. Despite that, I recovered fully and even developed 20/20 vision. We have always considered that outcome to be a form of grace. I like to think I was given another chance at life and have tried to live it fully. Since then, I have experienced both loss and gratitude, including the passing of my parents and, more recently, my sister after a long battle with cancer. I hold onto the belief that we will all be reunited again in the same loving and peaceful realm that I was fortunate enough to experience during my near-death event.After my parents got word, they put me into our VW Bug and rushed me to Denver General Hospital, where I was taken to the ER. I just remember being so cold as they examined me on the metal table, and then when they took me for X-rays. I was not actually conscious in the typical physical way (not awake and visually seeing), but I could hear the play-by-play hustle and bustle around me, the doctors and nurses moving about, and my mom so frantic and worried, of course. Oddly enough, I do not remember my dad being there. But he must have been. Anyway, the true journey and my NDE started on that X-ray table where my heart stopped. And here is my account of that experience:

First, I remember feeling that cold, clinical metal table, either the operating table or X-ray table. And that feeling stayed with me for half my NDE experience, cold and scared. But what happened next was so unexpected and, like many other people's stories, I found myself (or my visual consciousness anyway) floating above the exam table, looking down at myself as the doctors worked on me. Mostly, however, I had tunnel vision focused on myself. I was a kid after all, and I was just taking in the most rudimentary view of what I saw happening. After hovering for a short time (could have been seconds or minutes, not sure), I started floating up through numerous floors of the hospital, all the while having super clear tunnel vision of myself on that table. Even though I floated further and further away up through the hospital floors, my tunnel vision seeing myself was ultra clear, as if I had adjustable binoculars looking down that got more powerful the further away I went. I appeared the same size and distance to my mind's eye, despite floating super far away, all simultaneously. A strange concept to understand, but it all became clearer to me as my journey progressed.

The next thing I remember is that I was, in an instance, floating away, way above the Earth, and could see a lighted tunnel all around me. But the fact is, I could still see myself on the operating table as if one side of my brain was tuned into that channel, and the other side was taking in what felt like a physical journey, but in hindsight was the metaphysical journey I was on. The reason it felt so physical is that I was absolutely tuned into how cold I still felt, and the uncertainty and part of me that was scared were all tied together in a helplessness. But not for long. It was right about that time that I started to slowly feel a warmth around me (like comfort from sitting next to a fire in the winter) and a sense of safety and home! At this point, I was perhaps millions of miles from Earth, but still could see it and still could see myself on the operating table with that unique tunnel vision and duality of self.

It was also about this time that I started to truly understand what was happening and felt a sense of wisdom come over me. I was in a state of universal knowledge, but technically still a kid. It was certainly the most profound and meaningful moment of my life and spiritual life at that point. Although I still did not know what was going to happen fully, I had a sense of peace. I clearly remember having an internal dialogue with myself about the purpose and meaning of life as if I was an elder with great knowledge, experience, and empathy for the human race, and more specifically, my family. I think my spiritual mind lingered in this state for a while. But what happened next was, without question, the most profound moment of my spiritual and physical life!!

As I was contemplating life with a more engaged mind and knowledge than my earthly body had known at that point in age, I felt a 'being' wrap his arms around me with warmth, compassion, love, and what I find almost impossible to describe even after a 60-year lifetime to contemplate what really happened then and there. I never saw a human-type figure, face, or anything that registered as a physical shape, but felt fully engulfed by a metaphysical being like I never knew or imagined. It was incredible to feel so safe and happy then. But it was at that time that something changed. I could hear a voice in my head but don't recall its tone or whether it was male or female, just that the voice was there, about to give me a very important choice with full acknowledgement of free will.

I was clearly asked, 'You now have a very significant choice to make, one that is very simple, yet very impactful for those who love you on Earth.' 'You can choose to stay here with me where you will never feel pain, you will be safe, happy, and get to live in eternity with consciousness and love forever, or you can choose to go live your life on Earth with your family.' It was a pretty big choice for a kid at four years old. Yet, with the clarity and knowledge I felt in that moment, I felt very fulfilled and complete in my decision. And once I did that, I became that little four-year-old kid again in my thoughts and in that choice. I just recall saying to this being (who I came to know as God, or perhaps Jesus as my savior), 'I need my mom, I want to live, I want to play.' Pretty simple, but right in line with what a four-year-old kid would think or say, I suspect. Just moments later in my metaphysical journey, my physical body woke up, and I opened my eyes as I simultaneously sprang up in my hospital bed (nearly giving my mom a heart attack) and asked my mom, 'Where am I? What happened?'

But one of the very surprising things to me, as I learned later in life and heard the story of what happened to me during this accident, is that I was in a coma for about a month. And that moment when I woke up to see my mom was actually only moments later (in my mind's eye) and the result of choosing to live in my NDE, which had occurred a month earlier. And I suspect that, technically, that is when my heart came back alive, although the timeline for my waking up to surprise my mom was a month out. I can only surmise that my body needed healing time and God let me experience the NDE journey in perfect harmony with ultimately being embraced by my mom. Who, by the way, was bawling her eyes out from the unexpected and sudden waking up of her little four-year-old son! I do think I remember saying, 'It's okay, Mom, I am okay, but where's Cinnamon?' (our family dog). Simple life's pleasures!

Clinically, I was also told later that the impact and trauma to my head was so severe that they questioned if I would ever be able to see again (my eyes were swollen shut) and also hypothesized that I may have brain damage. Maybe I did turn out a little crazy? Mostly in sports and adventure, but I also ended up having 20/20 vision, which we all attributed to God's grace in ushering a young boy back into the world to live his best life! I'd like to think I have! I received several miracles then, but still have some life yet to live in the best way I can, in honor of my parents, who are both passed on now, and very recently my little sister, who sadly lost her long battle with cancer. I have faith that we will all be together again in that amazing and loving afterlife nirvana that I was so lucky to have experienced and given a glimpse of during my NDE.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date of NDE: 2/16/1965

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes
Since my heart stopped and my experience primarily happened during those 9 minutes, I'm guessing that there was an obvious physical and metaphysical side to my experience in a spiritual realm. Below is the full account of that experience.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

Did you feel separated from your body? 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? Once I felt the warmth, safety, and presence in the otherworldly realm when I found myself perhaps at the gates of Heaven. Of course!
As described in my main narrative about my experience, I felt that once I was in the new realm or space, call it an alternate universe or Heaven, I realized that I had a profound new understanding and worldly knowledge that was suddenly innate, although I didn't really understand it at that time and the difference until later. And it was short-lived since I came back as a kid with the intellect of a kid. Although deep down, I knew that I had experienced something beyond understanding yet amazingly special and important. So yes, my highest level of alertness and consciousness was during my off-world experience, and since I was a kid, there was really no comparison. At the time, I was gifted a much higher intellect in order to make such an important decision, and just the gravity of that lives with me every day!

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness? More consciousness and alertness than normal

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
I think that time really became something with no meaning, right up until I was given that very profound choice. Only then did it seem to matter in that I was asked to make the decision to stay in paradise or go live out my earthly life. That was the only point where time became relevant. But don't forget the seriously overlapped and multilayer references of time on earth, in the hospital. That month passed by while I was in a coma. But in my personal spiritual journey I had no idea or reference to time passing at all. And was that month-long coma a divine prescription gifted to me to let me heal? Because clearly my heart came back to life on the operating table. But I felt in my soul that my out-of-body journey took the full month until that moment I woke up with my Mom at my side. Looking back 60 years later, maybe I had only been given just a very small glimpse of what paradise really was or meant. Maybe I was at the gates of Heaven during my NDE?

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience Well again, since I was a kid, just doing what a 4-year-old boy does, I didn't have a tuned-in vision of my reality at the time. It was just playtime and an unfortunate accident (or extremely fortunate as I get older and appreciate the gravity of it all). So when I was in the other realm, again, I was highly tuned in to what was going on with the intellect of an adult or perhaps something more profound, with a much more worldly understanding of what was happening. Truly remarkable when I really sit down to relive this in my mind. Writing my story here has been a big reminder and is helping me still make sense of it all.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience I think there were absolutely no audible sounds in my entire experience. Maybe it was tied to me being in a coma, but it was probably more about who and what I was experiencing! Call it God or a supreme being, either way, it was incredibly profound. It was like that song by Alison Krauss, 'You say it best when you say nothing at all.' Except that the messages, words, questions, options, and feelings of love I was given just appeared in my mind or heart as if they were spoken and heard out loud, but not actually in an audible way. Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but one of the other non-verbal notable experiences right after being given the choice to live my life or stay there, I remember so vividly when I said, 'I want to be with my Mom, I need her.' I remember feeling the physicality of my arms stretched out with all my intent, wanting to hug my mom and be in her arms. Such a powerful thought or idea that I even felt physical fatigue in my arms and shoulders as I made that choice. Not a verbal choice, but one that was as big as the universe, made in my heart, and one that God clearly heard, as I immediately found myself back in my body and asked my Mom, 'Where am I?' That, of course, was an audible question!

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes
I guess it was pretty bright at the hospital room/exam table, and as my body rose through the floors (levels) of the hospital, the tunnel was more of a funnel that was widening into the vastness and portal of stars. Less bright, but more vivid a million times with the impact of it all!!

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

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

Did you see or feel surrounded by a brilliant light? A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes
The portal and perhaps even the spiritual being that wrapped his, hers, or its arms around me. Hard to understand if it really was a visible entity once I was there, but it didn't matter since it was all about feel and spiritual connection.

Did you seem to enter another world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm
As noted earlier, clearly it was somewhere off-planet Earth. Felt like I was just floating among the stars out and about the galaxy, but still had the second vision channel or tunnel to see myself simultaneously there on the operating table. Hard to even come close to wrapping my head around it now, but that's where I was and how I was without worry or concern. I felt safe, warm, intuitive and happy, right up until I was asked to make that decision, which I did with longing. I also did not see any kind of bubble or cocoon. I just existed in that state, me and the spirit/Angel/supreme being/GOD.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I do not think that happiness is quite right; it was more that I felt safe, warm, comforted, and enlightened, but yes, perhaps happiness in my newfound knowledge and understanding of the world and the gift I received by being able to experience and feel such grace in being offered a choice.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

Did you suddenly understand everything? Everything about the universe
Very hard to describe since I arrived as a 4-year-old kid, but I was truly gifted possibly 'adult and beyond possibly universe and worldly knowledge' in order to make very clear and educated decisions about life and the very profound choice I was to live my life, starting where I left off. But of course without that knowledge. I was clear that I needed to learn the bigger picture things by living. I do think there have been times in my life, however, where I have felt little gifts of knowledge in difficult areas, like death of family members. I just lost my little sister and feel that I connected to her through that lens in her final moments!

Did scenes from your past come back? No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Uncertain
As mentioned earlier, no boundaries, just existence in a magical space among the stars/galaxy/universe. Maybe you could consider the distant stars boundaries, but the place I was felt as if it had no limits and was everywhere at the same time!

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a definite conscious decision to return to life
I think I described that pretty well in prior sections. Very clear, understandable, compassionate, giving choice to live my life.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian - Catholic
I was raised Catholic, but I was still very young at the time, so I had no real understanding of what faith was until after this experience.

Have your religious practices changed? Yes
Most of my life, I have always been religious or spiritual, but not in a church setting. Occasionally I would go. But mostly, I just believed that while in nature there is no better church and place to talk to God. I still feel that way, but nowadays, especially after losing both my mom and dad and recently my sister, I am becoming more religious like I suspect many older folks do. I see myself attending church more, and a good part of it has to do with community.

What is your religion now? Christian - Other Christian
When I got married, my Southern Baptist wife asked me to join her faith. I transitioned from Catholic to 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
I was just a kid at the time, so I barely knew anything about life. But during my experience, I was given Universal Knowledge during my time there. I didn't carry that knowledge with me, of course, choosing to go back into my life as a 4-year-old kid, but I have always had that innate sense that my experience gave me a purview of life that helped me choose the correct path in life.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes
Certainly, as a young boy, I started more with the basics of living my best life consistent with the gift I was given to keep going and within the parameters of being a kid. As I have lived my life, I have done my best to continue to honor God and his gift of a second chance within the phase of life I was in. I was nowhere near perfect in that endeavor and made plenty of mistakes. But I always tried to be a good person and have compassion and love for the people I cared about. In my more senior years, I have found myself being that way to all people the best I can.

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
No voice, and no visible figure, just communication without audible words. The most surreal experience to be in the presence of and being embraced by a supreme being delivering such a monumental message/choice. Maybe it was GOD, maybe a disciple of GOD or Angel, not sure, but clearly the most impactful and amazing experience of my young life!

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.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes
I almost selected 'Uncertain', but I think that the above question about the evidence for the existence of God and this one about unity or universal oneness are, to me, really the same thing as I experienced it.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes
I think I have mentioned that numerous times by now, that I was received and embraced by him, his angel or spiritual being.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes
I have had some special moments in life where I had a sense about things and wondered how I could possibly know about them. However, I can't think of an example now.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes
I think that my answer from that little 4-year-old kid to my now 60-year-old self is vastly different than the NDE experience and mind's eye understanding with universal knowledge at the time of my decision. I think I was given that amazing gift to see at that depth and understand how important living a good and full life was from a more sophisticated adult view (way beyond that actually), but then was transfixed and moved into that 4-year-old mindset to actually restart my life. Yet, there have been times through the years that I have had little moments of clarity and greater knowledge through dream states or perhaps during a few surgeries that I had while under full sedation.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes
During the moments leading up to and during the decision point I was given, I became keenly aware of the existence of eternity and the option to embrace that freedom and blissfulness that existed in moving into that option, or the amazing gift to choose the option of living a lifetime. Again, I think I was possibly at the Gates of Heaven, and did not truly understand how it would be to truly be in Heaven. But I had been gifted (temporarily) enough universe knowledge that I was clear what choosing life meant and that I was incredibly blessed to have been given a glimpse of what eternity might mean.

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? Yes
I was certainly aware that I was seriously hurt, and although I probably did not know at the time what it meant to be clinically dead, I was given that amazing gift of universal knowledge for a short time and long enough to understand what it meant to be human and the struggles, hardships, pain, etc., we experience in our lives. But most importantly, I learned the value of living a full life and that it was absolutely worth living a good and faithful life. Furthermore, that it was honorable to do your best, do right by your family, and earn your place in heaven or paradise.

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes
Yes, as a mother to a son! She was my world at that time, and that one thought or feeling of love was the main factor in choosing to live. I needed my mom. Interesting that I don't recall feeling that with my father. Maybe that all just came later, as we became very close.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life
I am certain that my experience positioned me to live a full, meaningful life. I was so young to know much about life, like religion, etc., but I knew deep down that life on earth was to be lived to our best capacity and that after that, we have the opportunity to earn our place in the afterlife and see well beyond what I was so fortunate to get a glimpse of during my experience. I also think that it has taken me a lifetime to truly understand all of it. And to a degree, much of that lifetime journey (intellectually/spiritually) has been, at times, a 'subconscious' awakening. If I am blessed to live another 25 years or so, I am confident that my clarity of purpose will completely come into focus as I approach my final days.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes
For those who I have opened up to with the detailed story of my ND experience, I think that kind of intimacy has an impact. It's so personal, yet has such lessons to be learned and gives those who hear it a different perspective in their own lives perhaps. But I am not sure how many of those people really listened or believe that it's real. Again, in the case of my sister, God, I hope and pray that she really heard me. I believe she did and that it helped her and gave her comfort in a painful and scary time. Last time I spoke with her, she told me how scared she was.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes
I had to relive it in my mind, heart and soul as a youngster to even understand it. So, it wasn't until I was a teenager that I ever said anything to anyone. It was still very clear in my dreams and visions, I just needed to accept and believe in what happened. I still to this day have only shared the story with a handful of people.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience
Since I was only 4 years old, I had very limited life experience or memories at that point. This was the most impactful and profound experience of my life then, and actually, something I think about regularly to this day, so clearly it stands out.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain
I am an extremely creative person with an ability to invent things (products), create art and music. There are lots of people with those gifts, but some of it comes so naturally that I often consider them gifts. I question if any of those gifts have anything to do with my experience since we are all given this life to live and it is a gift of life. How we choose to use it, spend it, and live it is all a personal choice. Many people, I think, squander this gift with indifference or deliberate destruction of life, others, society, or community. What a loss, but it explains why there are so many unhappy people in the world.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? My experience was pretty simple, elegant, yet incredibly impactful! A simple choice to live my earthly life out or stay in paradise with the spirit or God at my side. The ramifications of the short time I was metaphysically at the gates of heaven were so far beyond words, but I was given the temporary intellect and universal knowledge that I needed to understand the scope of that simple choice as an advanced human. And what I would miss if I did not choose to live.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
In my early years, up to around age 16 I think, I did not share this with anyone. I was concerned that family and friends would be too judgmental, especially my parents who were old-school or tough-love types that did not want to hear something this out there! But as the years have passed, I have shared the story with a few loved ones, close friends, my wife, brother, and recently my sister before she passed away last week. Everyone that I shared my story with was intrigued, and a few had some stories of their own, like my brother, which I did not know until recently. I'm not sure that anyone was influenced by my experience, but perhaps they understood me better and were glad that I shared it. But I have prayed that my sister was able to hear my experience and my words of guidance and comfort as she transformed from a coma state to active dying as she lost her battle with cancer. I did my best to give her clarity and not to be scared, but to be confident that she will know the embrace I felt when I died during my experience. She did open her eyes after a week in full sedation to acknowledge her family there with her at the end. It only lasted a minute, but that will stand out in my memory for the rest of my life! I was heartbroken, but hopeful that she heard me. Rest in peace, little sis!

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
A more accurate description is that I came out of a month-long coma and needed to heal for weeks after that. So, as I healed over the next year, I would say I started having cold-sweat dreams reliving that fall and then my NDE right after. It took me years to really understand the gravity of it, and probably not until my teens did the reality of my experience really hit home. I needed to be a kid for a while before I grew up a bit and embraced my teens.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
As I have gotten on in years, the perception and value of my experience has intensified. I think that especially as I hit my early 60s, my mortality is becoming more apparent and my growing desire to live every moment with intention, compassion, and grace has clarity. I couldn't fully understand it as a kid, but had small clues of its significance along the way. During my core adult years, like most everyone, I got caught up in the stress of work, career, and family needs. As I approach the last quarter of my life, I so much value the important things in life: God, family, nature, community. And I am able to do that better, I think, due to my NDE.

At any time in your life, has 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
I think so. Early on, I tried to tell long versions of my story to set the stage. The questions asked were good prompts for me to recall what I thought, felt, and experienced from many different angles. So I hope I shared insightful thoughts that make a difference. Questionnaire, well done I think. Good job team! The only thing I am not fully sure about is that I question if my narratives and answers were in-depth or understandable enough to truly give an accurate account of my experience. We are dealing with such big ideas here, perhaps beyond human understanding, that I suspect I came up short a bit. But I did do my best to communicate my view and understanding of what happened within the scope and timelines of various stages in my life. I hope this was helpful to your project. Having just completed this survey, I feel more committed than ever to honoring the gift I was given.

Anything else to add? Just that I have often wondered, when I die (again), will I experience the same journey and landing spot at the gates of heaven? Or will I have earned my place in heaven? I plan to spend the rest of my life doing my very best to earn it, till my last breath!