I had to have an emergency appendectomy, and it was my first surgery. I was in the hospital overnight and surgery was next morning.

I was wheeled out to surgery at 5am. I was quite nervous but was feeling at ease because all the staff were cutting jokes and making me laugh, which I’m a jokester and love to laugh. I remember the mask being put on my face and then I closed my eyes. I didn’t remember what happened during my experience until later on in the day.

The one thing I did remember right away was I was in some place (which I will explain below), but I heard my name called from far away two times, and it felt like I was in a whirlpool and was sucked down into my body. I opened my eyes and yelled at the nurse asking her why did she wake me up? She said I had to wake up. I told her I was in a happy place and mad she woke me up. She told another staff member to get me out of there and send me to my room. I was only in recovery for ten minutes. I got back to my room, and fell back asleep. I awoke sometime later quite upset still. And then the event all started to come to me.

After the mask was on my face and I was put under, I awoke in a tunnel, I guess you would call it. At the end of the tunnel was a super bright light. Brightest, whitest light I had ever seen. It wasn’t blinding either. I remember it seemed like I was on a dark stage and in a spot light. I felt super at peace and an immense feeling of LOVE. I have never felt love like that before. It felt like hundreds of people were hugging me at the same time, and we were happy and full of brotherly/family love.

The light seemed super close but super far away at the same time. I wanted to go to it. But I couldn’t. I remember looking around, and had no sense of my body. I couldn’t see my extremities, but I was not concerned. I could move freely. I looked out to what I would say would be my left and right, outside the light, and it was black and I could feel the presence of people. I got the sense that they were very sad, lonely, and scared. They wanted to be in the light but couldn’t be in it.

But I looked back to the light. In the light, I saw my deceased father and his parents. They looked like little flaming balls of orange sunshine. I assumed this is what our souls look like. I don’t remember if there was any communication. But I totally forgot about everything in life at that moment and wanted to go to them, but I was blocked from going to them. There was an invisible wall. It seemed like I was there forever. I didn’t hear any sounds or feel any other sensations besides what I have stated. The next thing was the sound of my name from far away being called and I was sucked out of the place, and I got the feeling of being in a whirlpool or a spinning type carnival ride, and then I woke up.

I was in the hospital for three days. Surgery was the second day. On the third day the doctor came in during the morning to check on me. By this time, I was fully awake and aware of everything that had happened. I asked the doctor if anything strange had happened during surgery and he said everything was fine. I didn’t tell him of the experience. Later on, I told several friends and a priest friend of mine what happened. I told the priest I was very upset I couldn’t stay there. He told me that it wasn’t my time and that’s why I was sent back.