In 1999, I was rapidly spiraling out of control when all meaning and purpose had vanished. While riding a bike one evening, I was swept out to sea by a surging twenty-foot freak wave and had a close brush with death. My body began to shut down and the excruciating pain subsided. I suddenly became acutely aware of a loving presence close by.

My NDE occurred in February 2006. I was critically ill with a staph infection in my lungs and all sinus cavities. I also had another infection called C-dif. I had a high fever of 103, black sores in my mouth, poor breathing, and the worst headache pain in my life. I remember leaving my body before being admitted to the hospital looking down at the ambulance, health care workers, my husband and eight year old son at the time. Like a movie, my entire life scrolled by me all at once during this time. I remember saying "I am not ready to die yet" and returned to my body. Three days later while lying in a hospital bed, I felt and saw the presence of a beautiful angel in a dream with her arms raised and palms pressed together toward the heavens. I also felt myself dancing with her at that very moment, twirling, and leaping, even though my physical body had not left the bed. I felt totally at peace and filled with unconditional love. At that moment, I knew that I would be healed. I was also instructed to write at that very moment about the experience to share this message of love, light and peace to the world. This angel told me that I was free and that all would be well…that I, too, would help others heal.

I was driving on the Massachusetts Turnpike from western Massachusetts to Boston in a borrowed car. I was an inexperienced driver. I was accelerating in the left-hand lane up an incline to pass a school bus, when suddenly the bus pulled out in front of me. I reacted by slamming my foot on the brakes, and lost control of the car. In a frantic effort at regaining control, I grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it around, causing the car to swerve all over the highway. I could see drivers in other cars out of the corner of my eye looking concerned as they slowed to avoid me. I began to panic and realized I had lost control…that this was the end. My panic increased and suddenly left me entirely. My vision blacked out.

It was the first memory I had after my head on collision. I was about 20 feet above the ground looking at my body trapped in my car. It was an unexplainable peaceful moment. It felt like God's presence was surrounding me. It was dark. (The accident was at 6:30 a.m. on my way to work. I remember the beautiful night sky with stars and seeing the front range of the mountains illuminated. I had no cognitive thoughts or emotion of seeing my body trapped except for an overwhelming amount of peace. There were no other sensations except for that image/vision. It also is difficult for me to explain my perception of space. It was like a new dimension where I was just consuming a large dimension of space and could simultaneously experience space three-dimensionally. It was not like looking through my own eyes in one direction. Almost like a sensation of understanding all of my surroundings. From what I recall it felt like it only lasted five to 10 seconds. Then it was a strong unbelievable sensation overload and I was back in my body trapped in the car. I could feel pain, cold, and vehicle lights. Then the next memory was praying out loud and asking a man to pray for me. He did.