James C NDE

Experience Description

My NDE was on May 16th, 1996 at 1:00 pm. Prior to this, in December 1994, I had two heart attacks on the 16th of December and the 21st of December. I went through some surgery on January 9, 1995. On January 29, 1995 I had another heart attack and went through surgery again - angioplasties. On March 23, 1995, I had another heart attack, at this point they put in a stent. During this time, they told me I had no blood flow in my left leg and had bypass surgery on it in June 1995. I felt good until March 15, 1996. I had another heart attack and decided to get open heart surgery on April 23, 1996. I came home feeling okay to my family. The morning of May 16, 1996 my wife and I took our five year old to register for school. During this time, I just was not feeling right so I told my wife. She called the doctor and he wanted to see me right way. We had to drop off my son at our sister-in-law's house. On the way there I looked at my wife and I knew the time was coming, I told her I wasn't going to make it. Thank God for cell phones, she called our sister in law to have her call 911. We got to her house and I got in and sat down. The police arrived and told us the rescue squad got three calls at once. Mine was the third call and that they would get there as soon as possible.

He put me on oxygen to wait for the squad. They just pulled up and the heart shut down. I was out for five and half minutes, during that time I could see various activities going on in the house. I was on the living room floor by the front door and I could see what was going on in the other parts of the home. My five year old and my niece were in a tent about ten feet away from me watching them work on me. So I went to the kitchen to tell my wife to get them but she didn't respond along with my sister-in-law. At that point, my sister-in-law's mother came in the back door to see what was going on and joined them at the kitchen table. At that point, I went back to the living room. I left the home following a light, during this time I saw some of the trauma things from my life. The closer I came to the light the more peace I felt. Then I came to a field of the greenest grass surrounded by the most colorful flowers I ever remember in my life. From a distance coming toward me were four people, as they got closer I knew two of them. They were my grandparents, the other two could have been also my grandparents but I never met them. My grandmother and I spoke but without words - I don't know how, but I knew what she was saying. She told me it wasn't my time. She looked great and a lot younger than I remembered her; she also had all her body parts. When she died, she had one leg and was ninety-eight or ninety-nine. At that point, I walk toward the light; I stood there just letting the peace flow through me. The next thing I was back watching them work on me again.

One of the first-aid guys said let's try one more time and they got the heart started. I remember following them to the first-aid rig and I watched out the back window during the ride to the hospital. They brought me into the emergency room and parked me in a corner. My wife and sister-in-law came in a short time later. Again, it was as if I was out of my body just watching them and me, I was watching the doctor and nurses while they worked on me. I remember just watching myself just lying there in the coronary care unit. On May 18, it was my birthday, I was in a coma so my daughters came in to open my presents. Again, I watched for a few more days the doctors, nurses and my visitors. On May 21st or 22nd, I regained consciousness. Over the next few days, I was keep on life support and transferred to another hospital for more surgery. They put in a defibrillator on May 29, 1996. I went home May 31, 1996 and the next day I was rushed back in for a blood clot in the left lung. I recovered from that, in September 1997, things started to happen again, and they started running tests to see what was wrong. In February 1998, they realized the defibrillator was infected and had to come out. So on February 23, 1998 I went in for more surgery to have it removed and was put on life support for over four weeks why they treated the bacterial infection in my heart. During this time each night between 1:00 am and 3:00 am, the heart was turning off so I have had a few NDE's. On March 28, I went back in to surgery and it was a success. I have been doing okay and accept my limitations. From the time this occurred to the present, my life has change one hundred percent. At first, I could not figure out how I knew all the things that happened but today I know I am here for a reason. I am also in a recovery program for eleven-plus years and God and I have a special bond.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 05/16/96

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Heart attack Clinical death Heart attacks.

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 I never remember seeing my spirit body just the one on the floor in the living room.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? High, to see what was going on around me.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning I felt I did so much in such a short time.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. No sounds.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes I just remember following the light, the closer I got the bigger the light got so it could have been a tunnel. The closer I got the more peace and warmth I felt.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes In a field coming toward me. They were my grandparents and my grandmother told me it was not my time but without words. I just knew what she said.

The experience included: Darkness

The experience included: Light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes I felt the peace, warmth, and pure. (Worthy of being there.)

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm Beautiful field and flowers, the colors were outrageous.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? The most peace and warmth I have ever felt in my life.

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control It was like from childhood on seeing the things I did wrong and things that traumatized me in life. These I was seeing as I followed the light. Sadness for the things I did. Today I have the peace and warmth inside me and I do not do the things I did in the past. Today I put my hand out to help anyone and before I put it out for something in return.

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? 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 grandmother told me it wasn't my time.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Today I am grateful for every day and I don't take anything for granted. I begin every morning with a 'thank you Lord' and I end it the same way.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Because I didn't know how I knew how I about the events that occurred for the time I was out and the few days of the coma. Two days after my experience was my fortieth birthday my teenage daughters opened my presents as I lay there. I was in a coma but remember watching them. When I got home, they brought in my presents I knew what they were. I have had other such experiences from that day.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? I wouldn't change a day in my life. Today I am where God wants me.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I am in a Recovery Program for eleven years. I have shared my experience a number of times. Some people don't know what to respond and others want to hear it all.

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

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I would like to thank others who have shared their experiences because in the beginning I thought I was going nuts. Today I know I'm not.