4 years post near-death experience (NDE) and the time has come to write and think about what happened to me. I think I can learn from a near-death experience even though it has not been fun. My happiness has not increased now that I am going down this road. My spiritual push to do so was strong & I am following what felt. I am thankful that I have such a strong community to support me, both family and friends.
A few tears were shed remembering what happened to me as I remember NONE of it. I was reminded of my parent’s journal which I have begun reading. I also remembered the wide array of people who supported me while I was in the ICU and afterward. To fully recap this journey, I will start at the beginning.
On Saturday, September 26, 2020, I decided to hike Mt Wilson alone to summit the 14,252 ft. peak featured on the Coor’s can. This was not the first time I had taken on a 14,000 ft peak (14er), and I was experienced. Despite all this, I fell in unknown circumstances and came to rest 13,300 feet above the ground. Luckily another hiker (really an angel) saw me fall. Michael was able to support me and call for rescue.
4 years post injury…
Will I ever remember this accident? Do I want to remember it? Who knows. I wrote about this rescue 8 months later through my blog. Just reading through this post written in June 2021 makes me remember how far I have come since then. Through the heroism of San Miguel County & EMS, I was transported to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, CO (see article) where I was set as the most urgent case in front of the Dr. and Nurse station.
Through some severe trials and tribulations over a month I managed to survive the mild/moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other injuries. This is when I moved to rehab at Craig Hospital in Denver, CO. Now the scariest moments often begin post-TBI as most people have severe short-term memory problems, seizures, and difficulty with speech. One of the first things I remember is getting on the flight to the rehab hospital. In the beginning, my memory was very hazy at the rehab hospital.
4 years later post traumatic injury I believe I have been able to do things most would not. I also dare to say my short-term memory has not been hugely affected. I believe it is as good as it was (or so I can tell). Close family members/friends confirm that I have not changed much from the person I was. Otherwise, I am happy to have no other blatant deficiencies typical of survivors of this sort of event. I think I have tried to begin learning from my near-death experience the best I can.
The Heart of the Discussion
I spent an extended period reading the journal entries up until I was transferred to the rehab hospital close to Denver, Colorado (Englewood). The trials and tribulations I went through to make it through the ordeal were quite significant. Think of a fused neck (close to paralyzation), spiking fevers, restless moments, and countless close encounters with near-cognizant ending moments with the brain. Will I ever know the true extent of what I went through? No, nor will I likely ever remember them. Through God’s grace, I was able to survive a near-life-ending ordeal with Mt. Wilson.
Why did it happen? I will never know, but I of all people know that things do happen for a reason. Having quit a lucrative, stable position in Ct to venture across the country on a bicycle, I know that sometimes we are led or put into a position that can be life-changing. This ordeal is no different, but not by choice. Thinking about this today, I had to be saved for a reason. Your spiritual guidance (God in my case) has something in store for me.
Through God’s grace, I was able to overcome something that for many is life-ending (literally). You can no longer function as the person you were last and have completely and utterly changed what you can accomplish in this beautiful world. God chose to save me and put me back on this earth to accomplish something. Why – who knows? But through the care of EMS, doctors, and nurses I was able to survive.
Life Can Always be Harder
I realized today that lots of other people have much harder lives than us. Through a variety of circumstances, many people end up down on their luck, and in scenarios they never dreamed they would be in. Unfortunately, this becomes the norm for them, and they must live with it every day. Why are we saved from these circumstances? Homelessness, diseases, life-ending injuries, and just bad luck in general. I think it’s because we were put here to do great things. We all come from different circumstances & what we make of them defines who we are and what we will become.
For me, perhaps I was sleepwalking through life pre-injury not realizing all the things I could do with the short time I have been put on this planet. God does not want us to live up to unrealized potential and unfortunately, the only way to get that through our thick skulls is to have something dramatic happen. Whoever you believe in takes it all way and puts us in dire circumstances, so that we can realize the goodness we have been given. Think about it – the times you learn the most have been the times you have failed. Humans learn the most from failing as it helps us acquire knowledge because we enter either emotional or physical pain.
It is to this end that I was transported from the top of Mt. Wilson to near death in the ICU. I was told that I had a higher purpose on this planet & it was likely not the way I had decided to live my life. Unfortunately, it takes a dramatic event to get this across our brains. My life-saving 5–6-hour rescue is a prime example of this. It is not fun to say it or think about it, but God had to get it across my dense skull that things had to change. I was not doing something right.
Making Sense
Does that make any sense?? Hell, no it does not, but at the same time, it does. Only through a dramatic circumstance would I be transported away from the only way I knew how to live. Was this different from most people my age? For sure, I was living a ski bum’s life in Colorado working at a mountain resort. However, did my brain differ from those my age in thinking? Perhaps not. Have I grown from this near-death experience?
Like most people my age I lived for the thrill of the weekend. Drinking, girls, and shredding the town. I missed all the beauty around me, especially living in a beautiful place like Telluride, CO. Getting hurt like this makes me think that I am not here to do what most do. I was saved for a reason because God or your higher power wants me to do something important. He wanted to get me out of the rut of life I was living in and show me that I could do something that no one would ever expect.
Is that journey over?? Not, it’s just the beginning. Unfortunately, it takes the most dramatic events to get us away from the way we do things. The catalyst for something beautiful must start with something horrible. It’s horrible to realize this, but it’s true. Instead of ignoring it is much better to learn from a near-death experience
The whole reason I am going down this road of exploring this NDE is the spirits (God in my case) told me to do so. Have I fully realized why yet? I don’t think so. However, I do have an idea that it was guiding me to be ever so grateful that I am here. It could have been far different if I had been lying on that mountain never to move again or afterward to fully recovered.
How I was Saved from close Family & Friends
Through my very close family and friends (luckily) I was able to be healed from this life-altering moment. My family and friends’ prayers and thoughts got me through a time most people would not have survived. Did it have to do something with me being a strong person? Maybe, but it was the people close to me who were able to bring me from the brink of death to today & helped me learn from my near-death experience.
Seeing just a small glimpse of the terrors my body and mind went through is scary. The fact that I came through on the other side is nothing short of a miracle. Remember you too are a miracle. Amazingly, we all are here, and things could be far different.
What I/You Can Learn from My Near-Death Experience
We can make a difference in this world, and we were put into it to do just that. Keep that in mind whenever thoughts of depression or loneliness come over you. We were put here for a reason. Unfortunately, it takes the most dramatic events for us to realize that so that we can fulfill our life’s purpose. I think I can learn from this near-death experience.
These are the “conclusions” of these thoughts. I was saved from death for a reason & clearly, I still have something to do in this world. It is inspiring for everyone to read this because we all can do something beautiful with our lives. We must remember every day that life is beautiful, and we have big things in store! Every day we need to remember the beauty we are surrounded by and how lucky we are to be alive to enjoy it.
We need to take quiet moments to simply slow down and enjoy the quiet moments. Taking quiet moments to pray or just stop is so important for our well-being. I’ve always been far too go-go and never stopped enjoying the quiet moments in life. These are sometimes the most beautiful. Just sitting by a quiet stream and hearing the babbling brook is utterly peaceful. The peace experienced is unmatched.
My biggest takeaway is I can learn from a near-death experience. We were put here for a reason. We need to learn to slow down and enjoy life. Our life could have been much harder than it is, and we are lucky to have all the benefits we have been given. Many other people live much harder lives than us. With my NDE I realize that I can do great things with life. I can enjoy all the simple things it has given me! You too were put here for a purpose. Don’t waste it!!!
