I was living alone in Washington, DC in an apartment and felt isolated from people and nature. I was depressed and hated the way I was living. I was working downtown in an office, and I had chronic bronchitis.  The doctor said there was nothing more she could do. It may have been a reaction to air pollution in the city, mold, or a severe allergy. It was caused partly by tension/compression in my chest, but I didn't know that.  Every night, I coughed and wheezed for some time before I could breathe comfortably and get to sleep.  Sometimes I seemed to start choking after falling asleep, and woke up to more coughing. This time, I apparently stopped breathing altogether.

Many years have gone by since the day I believe I first met my Grandma and Uncle Frankie, nobody told me about them.  I just knew they both stood looking at me. The event stands out in my memory as though it happened earlier today; in fact, it happened many years ago when I was just a small girl. They had both died before I was born, around 40 years prior to that faithful day when I experienced something so special. Let me explain.

On April 19, 2007 I experienced something I never thought I would ever experience. I was on the out door patio of a restaurant. I headed inside and I walked into a closed sliding glass door. I hit very hard. I was sort of stepping up so my face took all of the extra force of my momentum. I experienced incredible pain as my face hit the glass. I knew I was hurt badly so I turned around so I would slide down the glass instead of just falling down. My friend and a lady who I don't know put me in a chair. I knew I was in a chair and that I was in pain but I kept going in and out of consciousness and don't remember much. I started to vomit and sweat. Then I have no memory at all.

As a 12 year old experienced Junior Olympic swimmer I was playing "Uncle" with a high school senior in our practice pool at the YMCA, Miami, Florida. I evidently lost by passing out, then drowning while I was trying to pull a friend under the surface and propelling myself out of the water to take a breath of fresh air. I did not experience fear or a shortness of breath nor did I feel I was suffocating.