On January 28, 2006, at nine o'clock in the morning, I suffered an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta. It was a severe pain that was ripping through my body from the upper chest down into the lower stomach and into my lower back. Immediately I realized that I was at the point of death, and if this was my last and dying breath, I wanted my wife to be assured of my deep and everlasting love for her! My first words were, "Evelyn, I love you!"
Once I arrived at the emergency room and was taken into surgery, I lost track of the many days that went by while they frantically fought to save my life. Even though I was on life support and comatose, I was deeply aware of the Lord's presence with me. I died five times while on the operating table and at least two more times during other procedures. I saw the extraordinary beauty of heaven and heard the terrifying horrors of hell-many voices howling and wailing.
While I was in heaven, I found my two moms: my mother and mother-in-law. I asked the Lord, "Can I stay with them?" They were eating and enjoying themselves. I laughed and they turned around, looked at me, and smiled. I started to run toward mom . . .