When I was 45 I was diagnosed with ampullary cancer and required a pancreatectomy surgery.

Prior to the surgery I had fearful and bad feelings that things were going to go bad and wanted to put it off to the next month. The doctors would not listen to me and performed the surgery on July 12, 2011. A few days after surgery I had complications and had to return to surgery. After this second surgery I was placed into a drug induced coma, intubated with a breathing machine.

During the time of the drug induced coma I had further complications that led to five surgeries. After the third surgery the doctors could not close my abdomen and I had a football size open hole. I came down with Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), double pneumonia, pseudomonas infection, third spacing and sepsis. I also developed a pseudoaneurysm that required a procedure to repair. It was noticed when I started to bleed out of my nose, mouth, ears, eyes, and drains. This happened twice and required numerous units of blood transfusions. It was determined I was in grave condition with little chance of surviving.

Then the out of body experience happened. A man in the next room coded/heart stopped and the nurses knowing I was a paramedic came to my room for me to help them revive him. I was in this man's room helping administer drugs, CPR, and shocking his heart. He was a black man in his mid-fifties. Eventually the doctor pronounced him dead and everyone left the room including me. I returned to my hospital room and saw his wife in tears screaming and crying in the hallway. I felt very heavy hearted after leaving his room and wanted to console his wife, but the nurses said I needed to get back to my bed.

Eventually my condition improved weeks after and I was able to return home to heal. When I was home I spent many days talking to my wife about dreams I had. Then I told her about the man who coded and I was in his room helping to revive him. I told my wife this was not like a dream and that I believe I was truly in his room. Then I described what he looked like, a black man in mid-fifties with grey and black hair. I also described what his wife looked like, a black woman mid 50’s with shoulder length greyish black hair brushed straight back. She was wearing a bluish white dress mid-calf length.

After telling my wife this story I further explained to her this did not seem like a dream and that it felt very real and true to me. This is when my wife told me I described the man, his wife, and the events that transpired. However, she said at the time I was in a deep drug induced coma and in grave condition. I was unresponsive and sleeping. She also said when the man's heart stopped they called a code blue in my room number. She was out of the intensive care unit talking to family on the phone. When she returned to my room in fear the nurses said they called the wrong room number and it was not me. My wife told me there was no way I could have seen this man or his wife from my room and especially since I was in the drug induced coma. This is when I confirmed to myself I had an out of body experience. I don’t feel as if I’m special but looking back, the experience is special to me.