Dying

Today, I met a 22 year old who died three times about a month ago.

That's right: DIED THREE TIMES.

He told me how he got sick with what he thought was the flu about 6 weeks ago and it worsened to the point that he couldn't lift his head. Turned out his heart, his kidneys, and his liver were all failing simultaneously. He was life-flighted from his home in Jackson Hole, Wy to the University Hospital ICU. This kid is a healthy 22-yr-old with no history of medical problems personally or in his family. Over the course of 3 days his heart flatlined for about 5-7 minutes on three different occasions. He was not expected to last through night many times during the week he was in ICU.

I asked him what dying was like and he described, in vivid detail his experience of coming out of a dark forest to an open field of wheat and the warmth and peace. He also went on to say that each death-experience ended with loud thud noises which was actually his heart beginning to pump again, then waking up with a team of doctors presiding over him in their attempts to resuscitate him. He remembers that he clearly knew he was dying each time.

To make a long story short, he recovered in 2 and a half weeks with absolutely no scarring on his heart- a medical miracle. Here is a paraphrase of his perspective during the whole deal:

"After I died the first time, I really prayed to God about his will for my life and if my death at the age of 22 would really be something for his glory. I never heard an audible voice, but I had the confidence, despite how bleak my situation was, that now was not the time for me to go. Even though I died two more times after, I felt that God had something else that he wanted me to do. From that point on I was determined to get out of that hospital in two and a half weeks. After a week, my tests came back good enough that I could be moved out of ICU. The results continued to improve, and 2 weeks and 2 days after I was admitted, I was released and walking on my own."

He is not allowed to leave Utah because he needs to be under careful monitoring and there are not enough good hospitals in his hometown. The following though is what really impacted me:

"I was truly ok with dying, after experiencing what life after death has to offer, I look forward to the day that I die and NOT come back. But it's that experience that truly allows me to live. It's not until you lose your life do you really gain it."

Everything that I thought was a big deal in my life when I walked into that meeting tonight went out the window. I was speechless, which you all know is impossible. This guy was so positive, had a get-it-done attitude and was not ashamed to enlist his unsolicited faith in God.

I was given a reality check from someone who has lived only as long as I have: that all of us are subject to mortality. He also taught me that we all have a choice in how we face that mortality (sometimes more than once). That we can choose to accept what we can't change about dying and that sometimes the attitude in which we walk through the valley of death is often the difference that helps us come out alive.

Challenge: Lose your life. Honestly imagine what would happen if you suddenly were removed from this earth. Gone without warning. No chance to prepare your will, or say your goodbyes. As you think about it, do you find that you are satisfied with the way you lived your life? Or do you still have more living to do? Like most of us, if you answered the second question, you still have things that you want to satisfy. Satisfy them, but remember: you can't take anything with you. All you have is your name and how you will be remembered by the people that were in your life. Do wish that you would have done more for them? Then go do it. Do you wish that they would really know how you feel about them? Then go tell them. Don't compromise, don't take shortcuts. Live every moment of your life in personal excellence, because you never know which one will be your last.