In early 1988, the British neuropsychiatrist Dr. Peter Fenwick, an expert on near-death experiences, appeared in the BBC documentary “Glimpses of Death” to comment on the near-death visions of people who had briefly died, or nearly died, and then come back to life. After it aired, thousands of people wrote him letters describing similar stories. Dr. Fenwick sent them a lengthy questionnaire to categorize their accounts. He presented his findings in “The Truth in the Light: An Investigation of Over 300 Near-Death Experiences,” the book that he wrote with his wife, Elizabeth Fenwick, published in 1995.
After Dr. Fenwick died on Nov. 22 at age 89, his obituary brought a wave of comments from readers about their own near-death experiences. A selection, condensed and edited, is below.
“I once knew a teacher who told me about his experience with his mother when she died. A few seconds before she left this world, she suddenly said very clearly: ‘It is so beautiful!’ And then she passed away. I’m not a religious person and I have no idea if there’s a life after this present one. But that story has stayed with me ever since I heard it in 1991.” — Michel Forest, Montreal, Quebec
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“In 1981, I was working in an offshore oil rig when a 1,000-pound metal pipe fell on my thigh, snapped my femur and severed my femoral artery. I was bleeding to death. After a quick medevac flight to the emergency room, I lost so much blood that my blood pressure dropped and my heart stopped. I flatlined.
At that moment, I found myself hovering above myself on the hospital table. No pain. I could see my disfigured leg and felt sorry for my body. Then a beautiful bright light came through a dark tunnel. It was stunning and as ‘real’ as any memory I have. But then I realized I had to go back and instantly awoke in massive pain. I had never heard about near-death experiences and was afraid to tell this story due to ridicule. But it happened. It was as ‘real’ as life is. I don’t fear death now. It’s just another level of consciousness.” — Jeff Sears, Norwalk, Conn.
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“Dec. 3, 2003, I had a sudden, severe pancreatitis attack. The pain was extreme. With my wife and daughter out for the weekend, I had to drive myself to the emergency room five minutes away. I passed out as I entered the emergency area. Lying on the gurney, I saw ‘the light’ at the ceiling and knew I was either dead or near death. The feeling was extraordinarily blissful; I knew that it would be a loving transition to a new world. I had to decide — stay or go. I was not done playing with my children, so I stayed. I looked up and there was my 16-year-old daughter.” — Elliot Hoffman, San Francisco
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“I had a near-death experience when I was in the hospital with peritonitis in my late 20s, about 50 years ago. I was surrounded by the most seductive feeling of peace and calm I’ve ever experienced — light and airy. I saw my grandfather (who looked very young), who said to me, ‘What are you doing here?’ I said, ‘You know, Grandpa.’ He said, ‘You’re not supposed to be here now.’ I remember making tight fists to keep me in my body because I was floating upward. Since that day, I have had no fear of dying.” — Emily Danies, Tucson, Ariz.
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“I am now 78. When I was 22, I had a near-death experience. I went into anaphylactic shock from a severe allergic reaction to penicillin. I didn’t go through a tunnel, see a light or any dead relatives. Instead, I had an out-of-body experience. I was floating above my body in the emergency room, watching the physicians and staff trying to save me. It was the most peaceful I have ever felt. When I recounted the experience to my physician, who had been present, he expressed disbelief until I told him how many were working on me, where he was standing, what they said and what they did to save me.” — Marion Novack, Bronx, N.Y.
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“I am not a religious person. I do have a background in science. And I believe in what Dr. Fenwick uncovered. In 1991, I held my grandfather as he passed away from kidney failure. He was totally cogent as we said our goodbyes. I felt his weak body go totally limp, but then, seconds later, he sat straight up; his face got calm, and his eyes were bright as he stared straight ahead, focused on seemingly nothing. Then he uttered the word “Mamma!” He said it in his original Italian language, something I had not heard him use in decades. He passed with a smile on his face.” — Marianne Pontillo, Philadelphia
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“I lost my wife in 1989 during an asthma attack in an ambulance on the way to the emergency department. I watched her slip away within a minute or two. They were unable to revive her. A few months earlier, she had woken up early one morning from a startling dream. She told me that she had been in a dark tunnel heading toward a bright, white light, when her deceased father appeared. He said to her, “Go back, Susan; it is not your time yet.” As she was being lifted onto the ambulance, her last words to me were that she wasn’t ‘going to make it.’ I have lived with her words since that night.” — Marvin Wilkenfeld, Newton, Mass.
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“I remember thinking: ‘This is it. I’m dying.’ I distinctly remember hoping my younger brother would get my pixies, a couple of little ceramic decorations that he had always wanted but I’d never let him even touch. Then, I had a sudden thought that I had a choice to make: If I died then, I’d go straight to heaven, but if I chose to live, there were no guarantees. I remember deciding, strongly, that I wanted to live. When I hit the ground, my skull fractured.” — Judith Hanson Hume, Dallas
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Rebecca Halleck and Amisha Padnani contributed research.
