In order to understand the circumstances that led me to the event I am about to tell you, you should read the page called, “Why Me, Lord.” It can be found at my last post, Why Me If you read that, you will see that there was little chance of me surviving on that Saturday evening except for the Lord’s intervention. Take notice of the fact that the attack happened about 4:30 or 5:00 and I did not get to the operating room until 11:30. I believe that was in answer to prayer. Notice that I gave no information about what was happening to me while I was in surgery. Now is the time I will try to give some details—most of which I have told few people, some I have told no one. Some scenes agree with others who tell of near-death experience. Some do not. I do not recall any chronological order to these scenes.
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There was a tunnel; however, I had gone through a tunnel on the way up the mountain, so it is possible that scene could have been planted in my head. It also could have other significance.
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At the entrance to the tunnel was a mountain of rocky cliffs. A hand like Jesus’ hand was reaching down.
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There was a sense that I was being dragged back and forth horizontally through a hoop. I felt like a balloon pulled back and forth through the hoop. ** I believe that was caused by my doctors working at keeping me alive. Sort of like they were about to lose me, then they would bring me back. I was greatly troubled over that for many days.
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I could hear someone speaking a foreign language. I identified with it being spoken by a missionary. At this point I believe, some one was interceding for me. Either a foreign language speaker whom I probably do not know but through whom the Holy Spirit was working. Or, maybe more likely an English speaker who was praying for me in another language such as that referred to as a “gift of the Spirit.” I do have family and friends who would allow the Holy Spirit to direct them in this way.
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I believed that I heard Carl, my son, consoling members of my family by saying that they must remember that I had reached my goal by going to heaven. This was happening in a different room from where I was. Carl says he does not remember doing this although he was there praying with family. So I can’t explain why it seemed to me that he was consoling them as if I had died. Maybe to comfort my mind about my family?
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I did see people I recognized who have already passed into heaven. I saw them in black and white as silhouettes would appear behind a screen; it was like they were around the corner behind a partial wall in an adjoining room. I don’t remember who they were but at that time I recognized all except a young girl who I was guess was about 12 or 13 years old. The fact that I did not recognize her makes me believe even more that this was an actual occurrence. I can understand why I might place certain people in heaven waiting for me, but I cannot believe I would have imagined a young girl whom I did not know.
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There were two figures in the room with me which I recognized as angels. They were vastly different. One was the figure of a man dressed in bronze and gold somewhat like a Roman soldier, but he wore a helmet that looked like an English policeman would wear. I can’t visualize the helmet now; that’s as close as I can come to describing it. He was standing in the right-hand corner of the operating room at the wall behind me. The other figure was at the wall directly behind my head; it was a dull light similar to a solar light that might be in a garden. I recognized it as another angel. Doesn’t make sense, does it? If I had been making this up, hallucinating, dreaming, or whatever, wouldn’t you think I would have seen two angels that were similar? I believe one of those angels was there to take me to heaven if I died; I think the other might have been more of a protecting angel. I don’t know.
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Now for another image. There was a man in a brown business suit who walked through the room. Of all these images that one seems the strangest. It would be easy to say I believe he was a third angel, but that wouldn’t be true. Who was he and why was he there?
There were some other images but I think they happened after I was moved into a room. I was convinced at one point that a nurse was trying to poison me—some nurse probably trying to get me to take medicine. I saw faces as though I was looking through a book, a picture on each page. One page had two faces on it. I believe those were nurses who were assigned to me after I was out of surgery.
I cannot claim this experience was peaceful; however, I could not say it was fearful ether. There were comforting moments or images but I was greatly conflicted by the pulling back and forth through the loop.** It seemed like if I couldn’t safely stay on the first side, I wouldn’t be “me” anymore. That probably doesn’t make sense. At this time I marvel that for those many hours I had enough oxygen to my brain to come out still being “me.” Maybe that conflict came about by things I could hear the doctors say. Perhaps I knew they were have a difficult time keeping me here.
I’m glad I did not die. After the intense pain at the moment of the attack, I felt no pain and had complete peace. Folks were praying all around me. I believe that is the reason I am alive and still have a functioning brain! But if I had died, I don’t believe death itself would have been painful or fearful. ———-
DIAGNOSIS FROM MEDICAL RECORDS Dr. Dimitri Kaufman (lung doctor) has written “Pulmonary edema, due to acute aortic dissection.” Dr. Walker, the heart surgeon, did say it was a near impossibility that I made it to the hospital alive and twice that that I got out of the operation alive.* His diagnosis was “Type 1 aortic valvular dissection, severe aortic valvular insufficiency, and acute heart failure.”
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Notes added today, August 19, 2019. *The doctor also added that it was exceptional that I did not have infection. That seems to be the reason they kept me in ICU for so long, to be sure that would not happen.
**Comment about the “balloon” being pulled through the hoop. At this point I believe that signifies even more that it was my spirit that was struggling for life as opposed to being a fleshly body being pulled back and forth. Something to think about. I’d be glad for your thoughts.
Sweet aroma 
I have no ability to explain what you experienced that day. But I’m glad you did not die. I thank God for the many medical professionals who took care of you; also for the many medical discoveries that made it possible for them to help you. And I thank God for the many believers who prayed for you. If you had left the world six years ago, we would never have become WordPress friends. We would still meet eventually in the new creation; but because of WordPress we’ll have more to talk about when we meet there. J.
J., I thought I answered this, but if I did, I blew it into the great beyond! Thank you for your response. Yes, I, too am thankful that I had to walk this issue with the medical help available. I’ve learned quite a bit about my own spiritual condition/progress or lack thereof since June 30, 2013. I’m still turning thoughts about just how to end this “story.” As I was napping (on the verge of sleep) Sunday, I believe I received a significant insight from God about why I was taken down this route. I got up and wrote it down. I know it will have some place in my Wrap-Up. You will like it, I think. I did. It is rather short and simple. And I tend want to say more. Sort of “this is what God said” versus “this is what I think.” 😀
I like to tell people to be ready to meet Jesus because young or old, our death date is not based on age but on Jesus Christ appointed time. The most important thing is to have Jesus living in our heart. And second, the fruits we have produced for His glory. That is it.
Look at the fields for they are ripe to harvest. Keep reaping spreading the seed and harvesting the souls.
Amen
Thank you for sharing this experience. It is encouraging.
I’ve had two near-death experiences. The first time, I was 15 years old. I waa given an injection that I am allergic to. First, I had the most unbearable pain in my chest, as though a giant hand was squeezing my heart. Then I lost consciousness. When I came to some time later, I left the doctor’s office and walked down a hallway. I felt as though my spirit was floating up out of the top of my head. I couldn’t feel my feet and legs, even though I was walking.
Suddenly, my body collapsed. Two nurses ran over and knelt down by my body. I was floating above my body and above the two nurses. I heard one nurse say, “I can’t find a pulse.” I heard the other nurse say, “Her lips are blue.” Then, suddenly I was back inside my body.
The second time that I had a near death experience, I was 39 years old. My heart was beating very erratically and suddenly it stopped. I woke up and found myself in a tunnel or hallway, between this world and heaven. There were many people waiting for me in heaven, but I could only see them as shadowy figures. There seemed to be a veil of some kind between them and me. The most amazing thing about this experience was the indescribable love, peace, and joy that permeated everything. Also, the wonderful sense that I was going home, to a place where there would never be any more pain or sorrow. Death had no sting at all!
Before I got any further, I was sent back to my body, because it wasn’t my time. I still had an erratic heartbeat, so I went to see a doctor. After many tests, the cardiologist that the doctor referred me to said that I had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and would need to be on a beta blocker medication for the rest of my life. But I had a lot of negative reactions to the heart medication, so… long story short, I quit taking the beta blocker about twenty years ago. And my heart has worked just fine all these years. I have had four surgeries in the past 2 1/2 years, and I’ve had an ekg and treadmill test prior to each surgery, with no sign of any heart problems. God healed me!
My husband had a near death experience when he was 19 years old and his appendix ruptured. He actually went to heaven, before being told that it wasn’t his time yet.
I’m looking forward to heaven. I was only in the foyer of heaven, so to speak, but even that waa glorious! My husband is looking forward to going back to heaven, too.
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing. Your experience of seeing people in heaven is much like mine. You describe it as a veil; mine was a see-through kind of wall. I am glad this is a subject we can be more open to discussing without being ridiculed. It happens! I hope many of my readers will read your comment. Maybe the Lord will direct you to use it on the blog someday – when the time is right. It is like a precious jewel – you don’t want to treat it as common. Blessings.
My second near death happened when I was 39, and I am 66 now, so it was 27 years ago. My memory of that event probably isn’t as sharp as your memory from six years ago. Although I call it a veil, the separation that stood between me and the people waiting to greet me in heaven, it could just as well be described as a semi-transparent, translucent wall. It did not look like a fabric curtain, it was more solid and stable than that. However, I thought of it as a veil, because of the common saying that death is “on the other side of the veil.”
Your description of a semi-transparent wall sounds like the same thing, really.
My husband’s near death was different. One moment, he could feel himself growing very weak. He knew he was dying. He tried to call out to the nurses, but he wasn’t able to speak. Then he came out of his body and found himself in a beautiful grassy field, surrounded by flowers and trees. He says it was very real, not dreamlike at all. His memory of this has also faded, though. He was a 19 year old U.S. Marine when it happened, about to be deployed to Vietnam. He is 70 years old, now.
Time does fly, doesn’t it? 😂
Yes, I also would have forgotten many of these details. I wrote this post about two years ago. I probably wrote things for myself before that. Anyway I remembered quite clearly at the time I recorded it. The “veil” “curtain” “wall” seems similar. Apparently the whole process was over quickly for your husband. I was “hanging in the balance” for quite some time. Thanks for sharing with me.
WOW….
amazing Oneta.
Thank you for sharing your story.
I wonder…would Satan be the man in the business suit?
Not that Satan would have any place with your possibility of going home…but I wonder if he or his minions may not hover around at such moments?
And the brown suit would give him away as they always say, never wear a brown suit to an interview as it signifies a sense of informality and lacking confidence.
And I think that analogy of the balloon being pushed and pulled is very telling.
Your faith and your continued testament to that faith is such a gift to those of us who now read your story…
Thank you…
Thanks for thinking through some things with me. The man in the brown suit? Your guess is as good as mine. I tend to believe I will sometime recognize its significance. Might be something that will pop up in the future. I remember no emotions related to him at all. I doubt that Satan hangs around to get his face kicked when a child of God goes home. But again he might not give up until one draws her last breath. He mocked Jesus through man’s actions until Jesus drew his last breath. Jesus took no notice choosing rather to take a repentant sinner with him into paradise. I’ve never heard of any other person’t near death story that included that. I do have a vague recollection of a man in a brown suit experienced by one of my sons when he was young. I don’t know if it was a dream or what. Wish I could pull up that memory, but I can’t. If I remember I will ask them if they remember anything about it. The young girl is quite a mystery also. I’ve tried to think of a friend or relative that died near that age, but I can’t – or of a baby who died about 15 years ago. Still something might be revealed in my future. If not I’ll find out when I get to heaven. I have no theory about children aging in heaven? Does anyone?
This is an amazing NDE, Oneda. Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you are still with us.
Bill, I agree with you that the experience sweetens the death experience, but I was in more conflict through the operation it seems. I never did feel myself not being here, but it was amazing that I could see the things in the room like I did, in particular that light near the floor directly behind my head and the man/angel in the corner behind me. I’m sorry you are so sick, but you are an amazing witness to God’s grace to sustain you. Be blessed, Bill. I plan to see you and Mary in the eternal day. I hope we can know what drew us together in our days on earth. At least we will know we are drawn together by Christ.
Sorry for the typo, Oneta. I type with an Eye-tracking computer and my eyes are blurring 🙂
I type with fingers and I still make typos. 😀