I started digging but before I could throw up the sky started getting really bright.  I became distracted by the increasing intensity of the brightness.  Then I saw a man walking toward me but not on the ground, above it somehow over the water, he was bright, smiling and I felt an inner warmth. I knew he was coming for me but I didn't want to go with him.  I kept saying over and over not to let him come for me, that I didn't want to go with him.  I couldn't see anything else but him and brightness, not my parents or the beach. 

Then everything was black and I woke up in the I.C.U. of the hospital I was taken to.  I asked my mother about the man, she said that I was saying that I didn't want to go with him, I was pointing toward the water, with my head locked to the side staring, unmovable.  She said that they didn't see anything and within seconds I went into a grand mal seizure.  Less than ten minutes later, I was in cardiac and respiratory arrest.  I was intubated for nine hours in a coma.  I left the hospital less than two weeks after that.

Any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?     No

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          Yes

cardiac and respiratory arrest, grand mal seizure

What was your level of consciousness and alertness during the experience?           I felt fully alert

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   Only when the sky began to brighten, like rays of light all around, but not separate.

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     No

Did you hear any unusual sounds or noises?           no

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          No

Did you see a light?           Yes, It was light all around and behind the man

Did you meet or see any other beings?           Yes

He was just above the water, I didn't know him, but he made me feel warm inside.

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No

Were you involved in or aware of a decision regarding your return to the body?       Uncertain, I didn't want to go with him, I was saying that I didn't want to go.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         No

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes

I believe that angels exist and that the man I saw is one.  Before I'd heard of angels in church but didn't feel concerned one way or another.

How has the experience affected your relationships? Daily life? Religious practices? Career choices?       I will always wonder why I didn't go with him and why he didn't make me.  I feel there is a reason that I don't understand, I meditate and pray for the answer but have not received it yet.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Uncertain

My thoughts on religion could have been different.

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes

They are skeptical, feel it was a hallucination.  It is recorded in my medical record but none of the doctors I had ever brought it up.

What emotions did you experience following your experience?  wonder

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      The best was that I feel I have seen something that others may never, the worst is the not knowing what the purpose was.

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        no

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes