A near death experience...

[Disneyland1084]

Have any of you ever had one? My answer is yes and no. I'm sure you all remember the tragic plane crash of TWA flight 800 in July of 1996. I was in France at the time it happened. I went through a foreign exchange program. TWA 800 was going to be my original flight, but I ended up getting a better deal with a non stop flight from SFO to Paris on Air France, and I changed the dates I went because I wanted to be back in time for a friend's birthday. I guess it wasn't my time to go.

 

[WDWfan36]

Wow, that's never happened to me but wow. That was close. Guess fate wanted you to stay

 

[Patty3]

No, I have not had any experiences like that. Happenings like that have to make you appreciate life more and enjoy every day you have.

 

[milkabum]

I have not, but I remember reading an article of those who were late, or sick the day of the 9/11 attacks. Montel even had a show with them.

 

[wdwpluto]

When we were moving from NJ to FL, I had a tractor trailer jack-knife in front of me and start sliding back to me on 95 S. Luckily, I had enough distance to stop and it stopped as well. Closest I've come.

 

[mrFDNY]

Hi all,
I was very close to death once,to be honest it changes your how outlook on life.I work for the new york city fire dept(if my siggie did'nt give it away)I was at ground zero and went threw both collapses of the world trade center,still i did'nt think it was a near death expirence as some of my co workers did.Sadly in april of 2002 i myself collapsed in my house and began to have multible sezuires,i was rushed to the local hospital.There i slipped into a coma,got 3 blood transfusions,last rights and even stopped breathing for 3 minutes,i was in total organ failure,every organ in my body was failing(heart,liver,kidneys,brain,spleen).I reamined in icu(intensive care unit)for 21 days remaining in the hospital for over 29 days total.The doctors wrote me off, and told my family to prepare for my death,a priest was brought in and i got last rights,my wife and mother even planned my funeral.One doctor who works for the FDNY,was not ready to lose another FDNY guy and worked around the clock to figure out what was wrong with me,it turns out that my body was poisnied by the world trade center collapse and all the stuff that i inhaled thru my lungs.I would get better as quick as i got sick,although i had to learn how to tie my shos all over and walk again.I made a full recovery,most of the dr's were stunned and say that all the medical books say i should have died.I was discharged from the hospital and this whole expirence,has changed my whole out look on life,also i learned to live for now,cause i was told this might happen to me again.It changed me for the better.I remember my first week home from the hospital,i was too weak to walk,but i used to drag myself outside to my poorch where i would sit for hours and just look around at everything,i was thrilled to be alive and everything just looked so beautiful to me.This one event in my own life made me a better person than i was,and made me a better person for ever.In a way i'm glad i went thru it,kinda.

 

[TigerKat]

mr FDNY - yours is a truly incredible journey. I can't imagine the agony your family went through. Is there anything that can be done to prevent it from happening again, some sort of treatment? God Bless You!

 

[airhead]

Truely amazing that you're with us! You're so right about how it changes your life forever.
When I was 16yrs old I nearly drowned. I was swimming across a lake(no biggie,I did it almost every day that summer). But this day was different. There were too many boats on the lake. I got half way across and a boat sped by and scared me. I turned around to go back to shore and panicked because I could hear another boat coming. I was swimming but not going anywhere. I was tired and gave up. I let myself sink to the bottom of the lake. To my surprise,I touched bottom and tip toed until my face was above the surface. (As I'm typing this,my hands are sweating!). I was able to walk to shore and when I finally sat down,I cried like a baby. To this day,I will not
swim in water over my head without a lifejacket on.( snorkeling at Discovery Cove was a HUGE accomplishment for me) I can't watch any movies
like Titanic,without losing my breath and breaking out in a sweat. Whenever I hear on the news that someone drowned,my head goes right back to that day. When you drown,you don't die right away, you struggle. I was so,so lucky that day.

 

[KT27]

My ex's sister worked in the WTC, had her 2 wisdom pulled on 9-10-01 and called in sick on 9-11-01. Amazing...

 

[liamsaunt]

My near death experience involved a greased watermelon.

We were at Girl Scout camp, and it was "activity day." (What were the other days--non-activity days? I don't know.) Anyway, after a fun-filled day of "activities" such as coating balloons with yarn dipped in paste (so you could pop the balloon and use the remaining paste-covered yarn shells as windcatchers! Whoo-ha!) It was time for the main event: the greased watermelon fight.

Basically, a greased watermelon fight is, well, everything you can imagine. A big watermelon is covered with lard and then dropped into a body of water. The object of the game is to push the greased watermelon over a marked line. To start the fight, the watermelon is placed in neutral territory. Each team works together to move the watermelon towards the line, and then fights to keep it on the side of their team.

I ws only an OK swimmer, but I had this idea, during the greased watermelon fight, that I would have a STRATEGY. I, unlike, all of the other people uselessly stuggling against each other for watermelon domination, was smarter! I would DIVE underneath all the watermelon competitors, swim up from UNDERNEATH the giant, lard-crusted watermelon, and heave it towards my team, over the line for Victory!

Well. I dove allright, but what I discovered is that if you are a 40ish pound eight year old, and you are trying to dominate a 20 pound watermelon, the watermelon wins, every time. So, there I was, stuck. Everybody else was gathed round the melon, frantically trying to push it over the line, while I was stuck underneath, being kicked in the head every time I tried to surface. I do remember looking up, lying on the bottom of the lake, watching the legs of everyone tread water, watching the watermelon roll and roll, and thinking, "this is so stupid".

I woke up on the beach at some point, after having the water wrung out of me by a swim leader. My Dsis, who was on the opposite team of the greased watermelon fight, alerted the counselors to my absence at the end of the fight, as did my "swim buddy." Dsis told me that she told them exactly where I was, which is why I survived. Notice, however, that she did not mention I was missing until her team had won.

 

[klmall]

My near death experience was many years ago also when I had a build up of a medication in my system and almost died. I was camping with a group of students on Isle Royale in the center of Lake Michigan and taking sulfa pills for a bug bite infection. I went to bed but suddenly felt myself looking down at my body from above. My throat was closing up tight and I couldn't breathe. Someone went for help. I had to "fight" to go back down to my physical body. Meanwhile they tried to take me out to help in a boat in the night but it was too foggy. No one knew how to do a tracheotomy or I would have a scar today! Somehow I survived the night and was taken out in the morning by boat to a waiting helicopter . I ended up in a hospital with a heartbeat of over 200 beats a minute and skyhigh blood pressure. Luckily after three days they got it all under control and I was released.

I think what the OP was describing is a "near miss" not a near death experience. In the perhaps the "near death" part of my experience I did go through a few moments when I saw a funny light and a narrow tunnel (as is typically described in books today) but this happened to me in 1973. I never saw any of my deceased relatives but I definitely felt my 'spirit' hovering over my physical body at one point. I was very calm during the whole experience.

After I recovered I did feel different for a year or two. I was not easily upset by trivial things and I did believe in an afterlife. It was hard to talk about my experience with most people. But now, so many years later, it seems like just another major life experience.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have had delays of a few minutes--and the route I was planning to take..had an accident on it that the timing was eerily similar to if I would have left on time. So not quite a near death experience--but still weird.

 

[Pop Daddy]

one time I choked on a grilled cheese sandwich, but coughed up just in time

 

[Sonya]

I had one, when I delivered DS. My placenta abrupted and I had to be rushed to the ER for emergency c-section. DS's heartbeat was growing fainter and fainter. I was bleeding a lot and was so ready to be put out even if I didn't wake up. I felt so helpless, all I could do was pray. I guess it worked, both of us are fine now!
I still have feelings of panic whenever I think about it.

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

I Had Serious Stomach Problems For Three Months. I Had Been To Several Doctors Who Had Numerous Diagnosis And Medications. I Finally Decided To Go To My Obgyn. I Had A Tubal Pregnancy That Had Ruptured That Day. I Had Surgery One And Half Hours Later And A Four Day Hospital Stay. The Doctor Said I Probably Would Have Died Because I Was Bleeding Internally And Er Would Have A Problem Finding Out Why. That Was 3-15-2005. I Thank God Everyday I Went To My Obgyn. My Heart Aches That I Was Three Months Pregnant And Did Not Know It, Even Though I Could Not Change The Outcome. The Loss Is Heavy On My Heart.

 

[eeyore45]

I was hit on the driver's side by an 18wheeler semi truck, he was dui, and didnt stop at a stop sign -- I was driving down a 2 lane highway in a vw bug - hit on the side, spun around, hung on expecting to meet my maker - but there was a different plan for me... cant explain it, the car should've rolled down the embankment, shouldve been crushed... 18wheeler vs VWbug...

I also ran over a box that had something in it that pierced my gas tank in my mini van - 2 days later on the same road the mini van that helped crack the truck scandal in IL, they hit something, their gas tank exploded killing the Willis children...

 

[milkabum]

Wow! I can't believe some of these scary responses.

 

[Darian]

I Had Serious Stomach Problems For Three Months. I Had Been To Several Doctors Who Had Numerous Diagnosis And Medications. I Finally Decided To Go To My Obgyn. I Had A Tubal Pregnancy That Had Ruptured That Day. I Had Surgery One And Half Hours Later And A Four Day Hospital Stay. The Doctor Said I Probably Would Have Died Because I Was Bleeding Internally And Er Would Have A Problem Finding Out Why. That Was 3-15-2005. I Thank God Everyday I Went To My Obgyn. My Heart Aches That I Was Three Months Pregnant And Did Not Know It, Even Though I Could Not Change The Outcome. The Loss Is Heavy On My Heart.

I'm so very sorry for your loss. Losing a child is such a heart breaking thing.

 

[ead79]

Have any of you ever had one? My answer is yes and no. I'm sure you all remember the tragic plane crash of TWA flight 800 in July of 1996. I was in France at the time it happened. I went through a foreign exchange program. TWA 800 was going to be my original flight, but I ended up getting a better deal with a non stop flight from SFO to Paris on Air France, and I changed the dates I went because I wanted to be back in time for a friend's birthday. I guess it wasn't my time to go.

I know two people who passed away on TWA 800--my friend and his father. The rest of the family had gone ahead of them to Paris, so they were not on that flight. It's amazing how such little decisions can end up making such a big difference later on.

 

[cstraub]

I know two people who passed away on TWA 800--my friend and his father. The rest of the family had gone ahead of them to Paris, so they were not on that flight. It's amazing how such little decisions can end up making such a big difference later on.

Whenever I book airline tickets I always wonder if I am sealing my fate. So far I've picked right but the thought is always there especially after reading a story like yours.

Sorry for your loss.