PERSPECTIVES
It was during that time that I had an out-of-body, near-death experience. I remember floating above my body and seeing myself lying there. I could hear doctors and nurses talking, and see what they were doing to my body. During this experience, I was able to move around the hospital floor and made my way to the waiting room. I could see and hear my parents, family and friends, but I could not interact with anyone.
I then drifted from the hospital to a setting that was white and cloud-like. I was near what looked like a gate, and everyone around me was wearing white religious robes. I was in a wheelchair, which made sense later when I woke up from my coma paralyzed from my neck down. I also could not speak to anyone, which made sense with my trach in my throat. Despite this, I felt comfortable in that surrounding.
There were many people there that I didn’ t recognize, but eventually a familiar face came to me. His name was Walter Tempesco. He was my next door neighbor growing up, and his wife Mary used to babysit my sister and me until my parents got home from work. He was like a grandfather to me, and I was very close to him. When I was nine years old, Walter fell off of a ladder and died. Being young, I didn’ t know how to react to the news, as he was my first experience with death.
Walter asked me,“ Matt, what do you want? What do you want to do?” As mentioned, I couldn’ t speak, but I was very comfortable there and wanted to stay. He kept asking what I wanted. He came back to me later and told me that I could not stay there, and that it was not my time, but I would have a chance again another day. The next thing I remember, I opened my eyes. I’ m not sure how much time had passed between that experience and waking up. But it was later suggested to me that I had been pretty far gone.
I can’ t adequately describe the feeling I had when I opened my eyes. I went from a feeling of comfort in the clouds to one of terror and fear. My eyes were the only thing I could move. I had a trach in my throat, a feeding tube in my stomach, a central line in my chest, catheters, IV ' s— tubes everywhere.
To make things worse, I didn’ t recognize my parents right away, didn’ t know where I was, didn’ t know what happened to me, and couldn’ t understand what the doctors and nurses were telling me.
What my doctor missed on April 6 was that I had viral encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain. I was told
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