Angels and Ear Trumpets...Chilly's Story

I'm officially residing in the Land of Blog once again!  Woo hoo! 

Here's a recent photo of me...(ok...not really me, but a good depiction of my life as of late!)

This is one of the reasons for my blogging absence...my new deafness in my right ear..more on those sordid details in another post....

Now, I promised you the story about Chilly's Near Death Experience and I'm going to deliver it right now! Let us begin...

As you may remember, Chilly had a triple bypass surgery in March 2008.  He died for 6 minutes during his recovery.  Those six minutes completely changed his life.  

Prior to his bypass, Chilly was blessed with many loved ones telling him they would pray for him and his speedy recovery.  He shared with me that he thought all that praying was a waste of time...that it wouldn't make a difference anyway.  Well, we all prayed for him anyway. Chilly was very negative about the surgery and it's outcome...just overall negative about everything at that point. 

Day 3 of Chilly's recovery was also his 40th birthday...it was the day he died.  He was very irritable all day long.  I had not left the hospital once since his surgery.  He finally told me that we (his father and I) needed to go home for the night.  He was super grumpy, so we felt it was best to give him some space.  

I was home for about 5 minutes when a call came from the hospital asking me to return immediately.  The nurse would not tell me if Chilly was even still alive.  She wouldn't answer any of my questions. We live 40 minutes from the hospital.  Racing back to the hospital was the longest 40 minutes of my life.  Upon my return to the hospital, I found a pastor standing outside Chilly's room, the crash cart (obviously used) and his room filled with about 20 doctors.  Chilly was lying in the bed with his eyes closed.  I heard the heart monitor beeping so I knew he was still alive.  

"Why are you causing all of this drama here, Chilly?"  I said trying to smile as I tried to walk with very shaky legs into his room.  He opened his eyes and I could tell immediately that something had deeply affected him.  He couldn't speak and his pupils were so dilated his eyes looked completely black.  The doctors began telling me that he had coded shortly after I left.  Thanks to Frank, an awesome nurse, Chilly's life was saved.

Once all of the hullaballoo was over and the doctors were gone, Chilly shared with me what happened during his "death."  Keep in mind that prior to the surgery, Chilly didn't believe in the afterlife or the power of prayer.  Here is his accounting of what happened...

"I felt like I went to sleep and woke up standing in a liquid sunrise that was all around me.  It was deeply peaceful and I loved being there.  I felt like it was pure peace and love.  I didn't want to be anywhere else.  There was really no sense of time there.

Two beings appeared...one on each side of me...It was almost like they were holding my hands.  One was tall and one was short.  They were made of light, and it appeared that they were wearing white robes.  They had no faces, but I could "hear" them in my mind...I guess they were telepathing to me.  We stood there looking out over the horizon together.  They emanated a deep love and peace. They "asked" me if I was ready to go.  I said I wanted to go get my family so they could see this.  They indicated that the family could not be there.  They "shared" with me that I had a choice.  I could continue on with them, or I could go back.  I decided to go back and get my family anyway.  The next thing I remember is feeling pulled back and seeing the lights of the room above me.  It was very startling to be back. 

I learned that I had died for over 6 minutes.  I'm grateful that I am back with my family. However, every day I miss that blissful peace that I felt. I was depressed for many months after the surgery because being in the sunrise was painless and peaceful.  It felt like home.  Being back has been difficult.  Watching my family deal with all of my health issues is painful.  I guess I still have unfinished business here. 

I feel that what I experienced is God. It's very emotional to talk about my experience.  I decided to share it so that others may find the same peace about the afterlife that I now have.  I know that my loved ones that have passed are in a better place...a place of pure love.  I know there is no more suffering there. I am no longer afraid to die."

~William Smith aka Chilly

Shortly after Chilly shared this with me in the hospital room, a nurse came in.  He told her what happened.  Later that evening, several researchers from the University of Arizona came in to document his experience. 

Recently, we were watching a program on the Discovery Channel about NDE's and someone shared the same experience that Chilly had!  Chilly was very moved by the man's story as it was almost identical to his own.  Prior to having his Near Death Experience, Chilly would have laughed and thought you were crazy if you told him this happened to you.  He was a complete non-believer. He knows better now!

Thanks for letting us share Chilly's story with you.  I hope it will bring you some sense of peace about what lies before us. 

I'm happy to be back!  Looking forward to visiting all of my bloggy friends and family over the coming weeks!

XoXo