I was at the transition stage of labour (going into the third and final stage) where most mothers will have an exhaustive feeling of giving up, and cannot go on. I was in and out of consciousness between contractions, which must have been about a minute apart. At one point instead of loosing consciousness, I was very present and very aware of being. I was in a different place, but very aware that my body was in the hospital room giving birth. (I could even hear, but not see, the nurses and sounds of the delivery room.) All this seemed to be going on through a veil or just on the other side of where I was being. Then I became more aware of my surroundings and lost connection with the physical plane.

On November 17, 2005, I called my doctor and gave him my blood pressure and heart rate readings. He told me to go to the emergency room. So, that's what I did. After smoking my last cigarette, I entered the ER and told the nurse my doctor sent me. They took my vital signs and the nurse got a weird look on her face, called code something and the next thing I remember is four medical people hooking me up to stuff. My memory is very sketchy, but I do recall my cardiologist saying, "You just quit smoking. Don't worry, you won't remember a thing." I also recall the cold concrete floor just before I went into surgery.

It was Christmas Eve 1980. Like the stupid teenager I was then, I had been in a bar celebrating the holidays. I had many mixed drinks together with beer. I also had taken LSD and smoked marijuana before my accident. When I arrived home, my brother had asked if I would drive to the nearest supermarket, which was roughly a mile away. Despite my condition, somehow I made it there safely. After, I thought I would pay my girlfriend a surprise visit to wish her a Merry Christmas. But, I forgot that she went to her grandparents with her family over the holidays, so I got back inside my car and headed home. It had been and still was snowing like crazy. The roads were completely iced over. All I remember is heading home.

I am writing about my husband's NDE as he related it to me. He had a severe stroke which left him with many handicaps and unable to return to work. As soon as I was able to see him in the hospital room, he told me that he almost went to heaven.