In the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada, a 34-year-old resident named Amber Kavanagh experienced two strokes and was urgently sent to the hospital by helicopter. On the way, she began to lose consciousness and heard her attending nurses telling her children that they would probably never see their mother alive again. She remembers opening her eyes to take one last look at the sun and then closing them, at which point she “transferred to another dimension” or found herself “on the other side.”
At first, she saw herself hovering over her own body and witnessed her husband crying over her body. Simultaneously, she saw her children and parents heading to the hospital to see her. At that moment, she didn’t see any bright light or tunnel; she simply “hung” and observed what was happening below, connected to her body. But then she “went to the point of contact” and found herself in another world, where there was no fear, only love. She saw herself as if from the side in this world, and she now looked “like the best version of herself.” Next to her were all her relatives whom she loved and who had already passed away. There were also her pets—dogs that had passed away when she was little.
“There were no more ‘What,’ ‘Why,’ ‘When,’ or ‘Where’; there were no questions to answer; I just knew everything. I was surrounded by an incredible garden, and I truly felt the grass beneath my feet.” Amber mentally communicated with her deceased relatives, including her grandmother and great-grandmother. And she felt “absolute comfort” while doing so. However, these people, who were evidently her guides, then told her that she needed to make a difficult decision. That she could stay in this place only if she no longer wanted to be with her children. Amber understood that if she stayed there, she would die in the real world, and her whole family would suffer and endure great grief. But if she returned, she would again find herself in her sick body and would have to undergo excruciating recovery.
In the end, Amber realized that she was not afraid for her family and that everything would ultimately be okay with them. However, she still was not ready to die. So she closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was back in her body in the real world. For the next two weeks, she lay in the hospital, and her condition was very poor. The doctors told her relatives that she could remain practically “a vegetable” until the end of her life. However, Amber then began to move and speak again.
“They still don’t understand it. My doctor says I’m his miracle patient because I didn’t even need the surgery they had planned. Yes, my body and brain suffered significant damage, but I was alive—and that was the main thing.” Amber then had to learn to walk again and even learn to eat. It was very difficult for her family to go through those moments. Overall, Amber’s recovery took about ten weeks. “But now I’m not afraid of death or transitioning to the other side. I’m only afraid that I won’t be able to return to that place again.”
Now, Amber’s right side still listens to her poorly, but her life has returned to a familiar routine. “This made me look at the beauty of life in a new way. I’m just an ordinary person, so I’m afraid that I will have another stroke, but I’m no longer afraid of death. I’m only worried that I will leave my children too early, and I want to see them grow up.” But I will never regret going through this. It gave me the opportunity to mourn my former self and welcome this new chapter of my life.
Sometimes, when I have a tough day, I close my eyes and remember how I felt the grass beneath my feet. Then I asked myself whether I made the right decision, but I know that they gave me the opportunity to convey the thought that we are all here not just like that.
